Code Lyoko: New Youth
by FakeACU83
Summary: 20 years have past since XANA's fall. The warriors were finally able to continue their normal lives. Now, 20 years later, a new kid enrolls at Kadic and discovers the supercomputer. What will be in store for our new hero and his friends? Will XANA return and will the old warriors have to battle him again? Please read & review! 25,000 views! OMG you guys are the absolute greatest!
1. The Fall of XANA

**This is my first Code Lyoko fanfic. I would appreciate it very much if you all could show your support and please leave a review or if you like it very much, be sure to add it to your favorites. But enough blabbering…ON WITH THE STORY!**

**Oh by the way, I do not own Code Lyoko what so ever!**

* * *

***Cue the Code Lyoko Opening Theme***

**FakeACU83 presents…**

_**Code Lyoko: New Youth**_

_**Chapter 1: The Fall of XANA**_

The Lyoko Warriors have finally done it. They had finally put an end to XANA's destruction and shut down the supercomputer. Everyone felt like a great weight had been lifted off of their shoulders knowing now that they wouldn't have to worry about XANA and his attacks ever again. Jeremy had finally been able to create a multi-agent program to destroy XANA for good, but it came with a price. The program needed more power in order for it to work properly and Franz Hopper, Aelita's father, sacrificed himself and gave Jeremy enough power to run the program and ultimately destroy XANA. Everyone was happy and relieved, that is until Aelita stepped out of the scanner. She fell into Jeremy's arms and just cried. Odd, Ulrich, William, and Yumi knew why, and they couldn't help but cry to.

Jeremy: Can I get a moment alone with Aelita please?

Odd: Sure thing Einstein.

Yumi, Ulrich, Odd, and William walked into the elevator, ascended to the top floor, and waited on the bridge outside of the factory, while Jeremy just held Aelita close while she cried on his chest. After she had cried all of her tears out, she finally looked up at Jeremy and spoke.

Aelita: I know I should be happy knowing that XANA is gone, but I also know that I'll never see my father again.

Jeremy: Aelita, I know that you must be feeling so much hurt inside of you, but you must remember, your father sacrificed himself in order to stop XANA, the very program that he created when he first made Lyoko.

Aelita: I know but why?

Aelita was close to crying again. Jeremy continued to comfort her.

Jeremy: Because he did it for you. He wanted you to continue to live a normal life without having to worry about XANA. And now that he's gone, you can live that normal life and I promise you that I'll always be there for you, no matter what.

Aelita looked up at Jeremy. Her eyes were a blood red from all the crying she had done. In here mind, she so badly wanted to see her father again, but in her heart, she knew that Jeremy was right. Her father would want her to live a normal life after being locked up in Lyoko for 10 years. She gave a small smile at Jeremy and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

Aelita: Promise you'll always be there?

Jeremy: Always.

Aelita wrapped her arms around Jeremy and gave him a tight hug. She was happy that she could finally live a normal life and that Jeremy and his friends would be right there by her side. She loosened her grip on Jeremy as he spoke.

Jeremy: Come on Aelita, let's get back to the dorms. We'll shut down the supercomputer right after classes tomorrow, and then you'll finally be free of XANA.

Aelita: Ok Jeremy.

Jeremy stood up and helped Aelita to her feet. They walked towards the elevator together with Aelita clinging to Jeremy's arm not wanting to let go. Jeremy looked at Aelita and smiled as he pushed the elevator button and ascended to the top floor. Yumi, Odd, William, and Ulrich were waiting for them when they walked out of the elevator.

Yumi: So…is everything alright now?

Aelita: Yes, everything's okay now.

Jeremy: Aelita just needed a little comforting is all.

Ulrich: That's good to hear. So, does this mean that we can finally shut down the supercomputer?

Jeremy: That's right Ulrich. Tomorrow after classes are all over, we'll head down to the factory and shut down Lyoko.

Odd: I can't believe that it's all coming to an end. Not that I'm upset or anything, but just everything that we've been through together on Lyoko, it's gonna be weird not having it around anymore.

Aelita: It will take some time for all of us to get used to not having XANA attacking all the time and us having to go to Lyoko to stop him, but we'll get through it, and we'll do it together.

Aelita stretched her arm out and Jeremy placed his hand on top of hers. Followed by Yumi, then Ulrich, then Odd, and finally William completing the circle.

William: Lyoko on 3 guys. 1…2…3…

All: LYOKO!

The gang walked across the bridge and headed back to the dorms. They said good-bye to Yumi as she walked in her house along the way. William, Odd, and Ulrich went to their respected dorms while Jeremy walked Aelita to her room.

Aelita: Jeremy, I just want to say thank you for everything that you've done for me. Bringing me here to Earth and helping learn how to live a normal life. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't even be standing here right now.

Jeremy: You're welcome Aelita. There's something that I've been wanting to tell you.

Aelita perked up and started to blush a little.

Aelita: R..really? What is it?

Jeremy was nervous, but he gathered up all his courage.

Jeremy: W..well…yo…you see…well…i..uh

Jim: BELPOIS!

Jeremy: _(to himself) Of all the times he has to show his face, why does it have to be now?_

Jim: What are you doing here in the girl dorms?

Jeremy: I wasn't doing anything wrong Jim I swear. I was just talking to Aelita. That's all.

Jim: Hmm…well you're gonna have to finish your conversation another time. It's nearly curfew and you should be in your room by now.

Jeremy quickly looked at his watch and gasped. He didn't realized how late it was.

Jeremy: Oh no, I didn't know what time it was. Sorry Jim, I didn't mean to. I'll head to my room right now.

Jim: Just don't let me catch you doing it again. Understood?

Jeremy: Understood Jim.

He quickly went to his room to avoid getting himself and Aelita into trouble. Aelita was upset that Jim had to ruin the moment but she didn't let it get to her, as she went into her room and closed the door behind her. She changed into her pajamas and was getting ready to go to bed when her phone vibrated. She looked at her phone and saw that it was a text for Jeremy.

Jeremy: _Sorry about that. I'll tell you tomorrow after we shut down the supercomputer okay?_

Aelita:_ Okay Jeremy. Goodnight and thank you._

Jeremy:_ Goodnight Aelita._

* * *

_**The Next Day**_

The sun shone on a beautiful Friday morning. Jeremy's alarm went off loudly as he reached over to turn it off. He put his glasses on and got himself ready for the day. Meanwhile in the lunchroom, Aelita was telling Ulrich, Odd, Yumi, and William about her and Jeremy's close encounter with Jim last night. Although Odd wasn't paying much attention as he was too busy stuffing himself with his breakfast.

Aelita: Of all the times that Jim had to show up, why did it have to be then?

Ulrich: Well you know Jim, he can just pop out of nowhere sometimes.

William: I wouldn't worry about too much Aelita. It could have been worse.

Aelita: Yeah, I guess.

Odd: Speaking of Einstein, where is he anyway.

As if on cue, Jeremy arrived at the table.

Jeremy: Hey guys, what did I miss?

Yumi: Not much. Just Aelita telling us about what almost happened with Jim.

Jeremy: He just had to come at the wrong moment. Anyway, so are you guys ready to finally shut down the supercomputer for good?

All: You know it!

Jeremy: Ok then, meet me at the factory by 4.

Just then, the school bell rang signaling that classes have begun.

* * *

_**4:00 PM: Supercomputer Room**_

Jeremy: Well here we go.

Jeremy pushed the button that revealed the power switch to the supercomputer.

Jeremy: You lost this time XANA, so good-bye and good riddance.

He pulled the lever down and the supercomputer started to power down. Slowly the power began to drain until there was nothing but silence. The supercomputer slowly sunk into the floor until the floor doors closed sealing it for good. The war between the warriors and XANA was finally over. Yumi, Odd, Ulrich, and William went to the elevator while Jeremy and Aelita stayed a little longer.

William: Hey, are you guys coming?

Jeremy: Just go ahead without us. We'll catch up to you later.

William: Ok then.

William pushed the button and the elevator doors closed, leaving the two young genius alone.

Aelita: So what did you want to tell me Jeremy?

Jeremy grew nervous but gathered up courage.

Jeremy: Ever since I turned on the supercomputer and saw you, I knew that you were special. And as we got to know each other through the countless days and nights that we've talked, I felt something that I've never felt before in my life. It was love.

Aelita was blushing like mad and smiled the biggest smile ever.

Jeremy: Aelita, I love you and I will always be with you no matter what happens.

Aelita: Oh Jeremy, you have no idea how I've waited to hear you say that. I love you to.

Aelita pounced on Jeremy and wrapped her arms around him. Jeremy gladly returned the embraced very happy to hear that the love of his life loved him back. Aelita, loosened her grip on Jeremy and stared into his loving eyes. Then, she placed her hands on his cheeks and pulled him in until her lips met his. Jeremy was left dumbfounded but after and few seconds, he returned the kiss. The moment was magical for the two lovebirds. They didn't want the moment to end. But unfortunately it did, when Aelita's cell phone rang. She groaned as she answered it. It was Yumi.

Yumi: You guys almost done down there? We're waiting for you.

Aelita: Sorry Yumi. We'll be right up.

She hung up her phone and looked back at Jeremy.

Aelita: We should probably go and meet up with our friends.

Jeremy: Yeah you're right. Come on, let's get out of here for the last time.

Jeremy and Aelita walked back to the elevator hand in hand as the elevator doors closed. When they reached the bridge, they found the rest of the gang waiting for them.

Ulrich: What in the world took you two so long? We've been waiting for you for a good 15 minutes.

Ulrich then noticed that Jeremy and Aelita's hand were together.

Ulrich: Wait a minute…Jeremy and Aelita wanting to be alone…them taking too long…come back holding hands…you two are a couple now aren't you!

Jeremy: Nice of you to notice Ulrich.

Everyone laughed and Aelita gave Jeremy a kiss on the cheek.

Odd: Hey Ulrich, you and Yumi have a little catching up to do!

Odd fell to the floor laughing like an idiot while Yumi and Ulrich blushed and gave him death glares. After they had all settled down, they made their way back to Kadic, all relieved that they wouldn't have to worry about XANA ever again.


	2. Years Later

**_Chapter 2: Years Later_**

**20 Years Later**

It has now been 20 years since the Lyoko Warriors defeated XANA and shut down the supercomputer. Within that time, a lot has changed. Jeremy and Aelita graduated from Kadic as the top 2 students in their graduating class, with Jeremy being the Valedictorian and Aelita being the Salutatory. Jeremy then went off to college and earned his Master's Degree in Computer Science and now is teaching a computer class over at Kadic. Aelita also went to college where she also majored in Computer Science, but also earned a degree in Musical Arts. However, she is no longer the DJ for the SubDigitals, instead she now creates her own music and sells it on CD's or online. Through all that time, the two geniuses were able to keep up with their relationship and a few months later, they were happily married. All of their friends from Kadic were there in attendance. Ulrich was Jeremy's best man and Yumi was Aelita's Maid of Honor.

Speaking of Ulirch and Yumi, after they had graduated from Kadic, Ulrich went on to become major soccer star for 13 years. He and his team won 4 national championship as well as winning The World Cup for Team France. After he resigned for soccer, he came back to Kadic and is now the new gym teacher, replacing Jim who retired a few years ago. As for Yumi, she ended up become a martial arts master and now owns her own martial arts academy. And even though that their relationship throughout the years at Kadic were a little rocky, Ulrich finally managed to pluck up enough courage to tell Yumi how he really felt about her, and from that moment on, they've been going steady.

As for Odd and William, Odd didn't graduate from Kadic all that well, but he did manage to enroll in an art institute, where he could truly express his artistic side from drawings to music. William, on the other hand, took a different path. He enlisted in the French Army where he served as a military officer for 15 years. He retired from the military after his 15th year and has been enjoying life ever since.

* * *

**1:00 PM-Airport**

One Friday afternoon, a large passage plane landed gently on the runway. Once the plane stopped, the people on board began to disembark. Among the hundreds of passengers was a small family of 3, including the husband, wife, and their 15 year old son. He had short black hair, brown eyes, and wore a short sleeved white shirt with a picture of a Forumla 1 racecar on it, black jeans, and blue and white sneakers, and a pair of glasses. The family were originally from America, but had moved to France because of the husband's job transfer. The wife was happy for her husband, but the young son wasn't. He didn't like the idea of moving to another place that was halfway around the world.

Father: Well here we are at last.

Son: It's still nothing like back home.

Father: Oh come on now Matthew, don't be like that. I'm sure that once you get used to living here, you'll love it.

Matthew: _(to himself) I certainly hope so._

Father: Now let's go find our new home.

* * *

**An hour and a half later**

The family soon arrived at their new home. The house was a 2 story building, consisting of 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a small dining room, kitchen, and living room. Even though it wasn't like their old home in America, Matthew was quite impressed.

Matthew: Quite a nice place here.

Father: Now that we're settled in I have a favor to ask you Matthew. Your new school is called Kadic Academy. It's about a 30 minute drive from here, but since that you're just about old enough to be on your own, we insisted that you would stay in the dorms that the school provides. Is that okay with you?

Matthew: It's cool with me.

Father: Excellent. The school's Summer Vacation doesn't end until Sunday, so tomorrow I'll drive you down there and get you enrolled for this year.

Matthew: Alright Dad. Thanks.

* * *

**9:00 AM-Kadic Academy**

Matthew and his father walked through the hallways looking for the principal's office. Unfortunately for them, they got lost wandering through the large campus.

Father: For crying out loud, where on Earth is this blooming office?!

Matthew: At this rate, the school year will be over before I can even enroll. I wish there was someone who could help us find…

Matthew didn't get a chance to finish his sentence as he ran right into a teacher. He looked up at teacher. Although he didn't know it at first, but he ran right into Ulrich.

Ulrich: Whoa now, careful there young man.

Matthew: Sorry sir. My dad and I are trying to find the principal's office so that I can enroll here. We just moved here yesterday you see.

Ulrich: Ah, a new student huh. Well pleased to meet you youngster. I'm Coach Ulrich, the gym teacher, martial arts teacher, and the school's sports director.

Matthew: Nice to meet you Coach. My name is Matthew Stephenson.

Ulrich: Nice to know you Matthew. Now follow me. I'll show you the principal's office.

Matthew: I appreciate that.

* * *

**Principal's Office**

Ulrich: Well here we are. I'm sure the principal is already expecting you so I'll leave you to it. Take care and I'll see you later!

Matthew: Thanks Coach!

Father: Well let's get started. *knocks on the door*

Principal: Come in!

Matthew and his father entered the office and the principal greeted them warmly.

Principal: Ah you must be Matthew our new student.

Matthew: Yes sir, that's me.

Principal: Splendid. My name is Mr. Hamilton and I am the school's principal. Come and sit and I'll get you enrolled.

* * *

**1 hour later**

Mr. Hamilton: Well it seems that everything is in order. Here is your schedule for this year and here is your student handbook.

Matthew looked at his schedule. He saw that he had Computer Science first, Math second, Gym class third, Lunch forth, Science fifth, Foreign Language sixth, and finally History ending the day's classes.

Mr. Hamilton: Now remember, breakfast starts at 7:00 AM with classes immediately following breakfast at 8:00 AM sharp. Lunch is at 12:00 noon, classes end at 4:00 PM, dinner is at 7:00 PM, and curfew begins at 10:00 PM. And the weekends are free days for students. Is that clear?

Matthew: Crystal clear sir.

Mr. Hamilton: Well then, welcome to Kadic Academy Mr. Stephenson. Now follow me and I'll show you to your dorm room.

* * *

**5 minutes later-Matthew's Room**

Mr. Hamilton: Well young man, here you are. Your new room.

Matthew took a look at his room. It had a single bed and a desk for his computer, a medium sized closet, and drawers underneath his bed. On top of that, he had a nice 2nd floor window view of the world outside.

Matthew: Nice place. I like it.

Mr. Hamilton: Very good. See you when classes begin.

Matthew: Thank you Mr. Hamilton. Have a nice day.

He turned to his father and gave him a big hug.

Matthew: I'm gonna miss you dad and mom too.

Father: We'll miss you to son. But don't worry, we'll keep in touch with you through video calls and phone calls. Okay?

Matthew: Ok dad. I'll see you soon. I love you.

Father: I love you too son.

His father closed the door behind him leaving Matthew all on his own.

Matthew:_ (to himself) Well I may as well get unpacked. Then maybe later I'll have a look around the campus and around town. I think I could get used to this._


	3. New Friends & The Old Factory

**_Chapter 3: New Friends &amp; The Old Factory_**

It didn't take Matthew very long to get unpacked and get used to his new room. He put all his clothes in the drawers underneath his bed, his fancy dress clothes in the closet, and connected his laptop on the desk in front of the window.

Matthew: There, that should be about everything.

He looked at his phone and saw that it was only 10:30 AM.

Matthew: Well, lunch doesn't start until noon, so may as well have a look around the campus.

He then left his room and wandered around the hallways. He eventually made his way outside to the courtyard, where he saw many other students happily chatting amongst themselves.

Matthew: Boy, this place is bigger than I thought. It's gonna take me a while learning the layout of this place. Well, I may as well…oof!

Matthew looked to his left to see that a young girl had accidently ran into while looking on her phone. She was about 14 years old and had long blonde hair, blue eyes, and wore a light purple and white striped short-sleeved shirt, dark blue jeans, and black shoes. She also had a purple head band in her hair and wore a small pearl bracelet on her wrist. Matthew blushed a bit at the sight of her.

Girl: Oh, I'm so sorry. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. Are you alright?

Matthew: Ah don't sweat it. I'm fine. I'm just trying to learn my way around here.

Girl: Oh, are you new here?

Matthew: Yep. My family and I moved here from America just yesterday and I enrolled here today.

Girl: Well welcome to Kadic. I'm Natalie.

Matthew: Nice to meet you. I'm Matthew.

He extended his hand and Natalie gently shook it.

Natalie: You know, I've been here since 8th grade and I pretty much know my way around the campus. Would you like me to show you around?

Matthew: I would really appreciate that.

Natalie: Then follow me.

Natalie showed Matthew the whole campus. She showed him the classrooms, the gymnasium, the cafeteria, the park, the track and field stadium, the recreation room, the dorms, the bathrooms, pretty much everything. By the time they'd finished, it was nearly lunch time and Matthew's stomach started to growl.

Matthew: Ooh boy, I'm hungry. I guess this little tour must have worked up an appetite.

Natalie giggled

Natalie: Yeah me too. Do you wanna come and eat lunch with me and my friends?

Matthew: Sure, I'd like that.

* * *

**12:00 Noon-Cafeteria**

After Matthew got his tray full of food, he followed Natalie over to a table where her friends were at. The group consisted of two boys and two girls.

Natalie: Hey guys, I'd like you to meet somebody.

Matthew: Hello there, my name's Matthew. My family and I moved here from America yesterday and I just enrolled today.

The two guys got up from their seats and offered Matthew a handshake.

Boy 1: Nice to meet ya mate. I'm Gary.

Boy 2: And I'm Jonah.

Gary was about 15 years old, had short brown that was gelled up at the front and gave his hair a slight upward flick, brown eyes, and wore a red short sleeved shirt that was on top of a black long sleeved undershirt, blue jeans, and black sneakers. Jason was 14 years old, short blonde hair, blue eyes, and wore a yellow-orange short sleeved shirt, jean shorts, and blue sneakers.

Matthew: Thanks, nice to meet you guys to.

Then, the two girls at the table introduced themselves.

Girl 1: Hi there, I'm Alexis.

Girl 2: And my name's Mariah.

Alexis was 14 years old, had long black hair, green eyes, and wore a green short sleeve shirt, a black skirt that went down to her knees, a pair of black flat shoes, and wore a small gold necklace around her neck. Mariah was also 14 years old, had short blonde hair with black streaks, blue eyes, and wore a pink short sleeved shirt with white trimming, blue jeans, and white sneakers.

Matthew: Nice to meet you two ladies.

Natalie: I showed him around the school and invited him to eat with us. You guys okay with that?

Gary: Sure, the more the merrier.

Mariah: So Matthew, tell us about yourself.

Matthew: Well, I'm originally from North Carolina, but I moved to New York when I was about 6 years old. I didn't have many friends there though. They would always make fun of me because of my southern accent. They said I didn't belong there, that I should just go back to the farm where I belong.

Jonah: Well that's just terrible.

Alexis: Yeah, no one should have to be tortured like that over an accent.

Matthew: I agree with you. I just wish they could figure it out. Ever since then, I've pretty much been anti-social. In fact, you guys are the first real friends I've ever had.

The group sat there in silence. They felt sorry for Matthew.

Matthew: But enough of the sad stuff. Let me tell you things that I like.

The group listened closely.

Matthew: Well for starters, I'm a big Formula 1 fan, as you could probably tell by my shirt. I've always loved the sport and I've always dreamed of one day becoming a real racing star. Anyway, I'm really good when it comes to working with computers, math, or science. I know, I'm a nerd, but I'm proud of it. I love going to the beach and having fun with friends.

Gary: Very interesting background my friend. I think you're gonna fit in very well here.

The rest of the group agreed and Matthew smiled.

Matthew: Thanks guys. Thanks for being my first true friends. _(to himself) Maybe dad was right. Maybe I will like it here once I get used to it._

Matthew spent the rest of the day hanging out with his new friends. He enjoyed every minute of it, and the group also enjoyed his company. They found him very easy to get along with, funny, and a great guy all around. The rest of the day passed by quickly and soon it was near curfew.

Matthew: Well goodnight guys. See you all tomorrow?

All: You bet!

Matthew: Great! Catch ya later!

Matthew went back to his room. He shut the door behind him and just lay back on his bed.

Matthew: I have to admit, that was the best first day I've ever had. Looks like you were right dad. I have a feeling I'm gonna enjoy this year.

He then changed into his pajama shirt and shorts, curled up in his bed and fell fast asleep.

* * *

**9:00 AM-The Next Day**

Matthew was taking a morning stroll through the courtyard. He had never slept so well in his life until yesterday. He had finally made some new friends that actually appreciated him for who he was and not make fun of him because of his southern accent.

Matthew: _(to himself) Man it feels good to be appreciated for once._

?: Hey Matthew! Over here!

Matthew turned around and saw Natalie and the rest of the group waving at him and motioning him to join them. Matthew happily walked over.

Gary: So then mate, sleep well last night.

Matthew: Oh yeah. Best sleep I've ever had.

Gary: Well that's good to hear. Say we were gonna take a walk through town since its Sunday and school doesn't start until tomorrow and we wanted to know if you wanted to tag along.

Matthew: Count me in. I haven't really learned my way around town yet. So I guess that this would be a good time to check it out.

Gary: Alright then. Follow us mate and we'll show you everything.

Gary was as good as his word. The group really did show Matthew everything around town. From the local shops and supermarkets, to the best restaurants the town has to offer. From the local fairgrounds, to the little arcades. They showed him many places in town, and Matthew was impressed. By the time they finished the tour, it was already 9:15 PM. As they were heading back to the academy, Matthew saw something that caught his interest. In the middle of the river was an old, abandoned factory that looked like it hasn't been opened for at least 50 years. There was a bridge leading to the entrance of the factory. Curiosity got the best of him and he walked towards the factory. The group didn't even notice him leave, until Natalie looked behind her and saw that he wasn't there.

Natalie: Huh? Matthew? Where did he go?

Jonah: What's wrong Nat?

Natalie: Did any of you see where Matthew went? He just disappeared.

Gary: Well that's strange. Where could he have gone?

Alexis: Hey guys look! Over there on the bridge!

The group looked towards the bridge and saw Matthew crossing it towards the old factory.

Gary: Hey Matt! Get back here!

The group took off after him and stopped just before he went inside.

Alexis: What's the matter with you Matthew? You just took off without a word!

Natalie: We were worried that something had happened to you.

Matthew: Sorry guys. I guess my curiosity got the best of me.

Mariah: Well what is this place anyway?

Matthew: Some sort of abandoned factory. I wanna see what's inside.

Jonah: Uhh…I don't think that's a good idea. We could get in trouble if we get caught in there.

Matthew: This will only take a few minutes. Trust me, I'll go in, have a look around, get out, and get back to the dorms before curfew.

Gary: Well if you're going in there, then I'm going to. I wouldn't want anything to happen to my new mate. Friends stick together right?

All: Right!

Matthew: Well, let's go see what's in there.

They slowly made their way inside the old factory. The factory was completely empty, aside from a few stacks of wooden crates that were never opened. At times, they could hear the little pitter- patter of rats scurrying across the floors and the iron support beams. Other times, they would hear strange creaking noises. The atmosphere inside was very spooky at night. Alexis and Mariah kept close to Gary and Jonah afraid that something might jump out at them. Gary and Jonah tried to put on a brave face, but deep down they were scared to. Natalie just clung to Matthew's arm in fright, while Matthew led the group through the factory.

Jonah: There doesn't seem to be much here.

Matthew: Well what about that elevator.

He pointed to where and old freight elevator was.

Gary: Come on Matt, do you really think that old thing would still even work? Knowing how old this place is, the elevator would probably crash to the bottom.

Matthew: One way to find out.

He made his way to the elevator with Natalie still clinging to his arm, and the rest of the gang followed. He pushed the down button and the massive industrial doors closed. The elevator clanked into action and made its slow descent into the factory. The elevator eventually stopped and the doors opened. The gang gasped at what they saw. In front of them was a large computer with multiple screens and what looked to be a hologram generator in the middle.

Matthew: Wow, look at this!

Alexis: Who would have thought that something like this was in an old factory?

Mariah: I sure wouldn't.

Matthew sat down in the revolving chair and tried to turn on the computer. But nothing happened.

Matthew: Hmm…maybe there's main switch that turns it on. Maybe it's down at the bottom floor, come on let's go!

The gang wasn't so sure, but they reluctantly followed him back to the elevator. Matthew pushed the down button again and the elevator descended even further down until it reached the bottom floor. When the doors opened, the freezing blast of wind hit them, making them shiver violently.

Natalie: W…wh…why is it…s…ssso…cold…in here?

Matthew: W…we're…at the bottom…of the…f…f…factory. The temperature gets….c…colder…the further…d…down we are.

Suddenly, the room began to shake. Doors in the center of the floor started to open. A foggy substance began to fill the room as a massive black and gold computer core rose out of the floor.

All: Wooooooah.

Matthew stepped forward and looked at the core. He noticed in front of him a strange looking symbol. It looked like some sort of eye with lines coming out from the top and bottom.

Matthew: Hmm…I wonder what this symbol means?

He noticed a button was beside the symbol. He pushed it and the symbol split apart revealing a lever.

Matthew: This must be the lever that controls the power to the computer.

He placed his hand on the lever. He was very nervous.

Matthew: I hope that I'm not going to regret this.

He pulled the lever up and the core glowed brightly as the power surged to its circuits. The gang was amazed at the sight.

Matthew: Let's go see if the computer works now.

The gang followed him back to the elevator and then went back up to the computer room. Once there, Matthew sat in the seat again and attempted to turn on the computer. But again nothing happened. He tried again, but still nothing. He tried several times, but nothing worked. Finally, he admitted defeat.

Matthew: *sigh* Well guys, it doesn't look like that this thing is gonna turn on anytime soon. Let's go back to the academy, but keep this a secret between us okay? We don't want anyone finding out about this or we'll be in serious trouble.

All: Agreed.

They left the factory and headed back to the academy. But inside the computer room, the computer suddenly turned on by itself. All the screens on the computer suddenly flashed and the strange eye looking symbol appeared on all the screens. Little did the gang know that their troubles were about to begin.

* * *

**I know, I know, I know… there's not much action in this chapter or in the story right now, but I promise you that there will be plenty of it. Right now, I'm just trying to finalize the plot of the story and we should be good to go. Thanks for reading. And remember to show your support for this story if you guys want more. Thanks again! FakeACU83 OUT!**


	4. The Resurrection

**_Chapter 4: The Resurrection _**

**Monday-6:30 AM**

BEEP BEEP BEEP

Matthew: *groan* Shut up alarm.

Groaning and grumbling, Matthew turned over and turned off his alarm clock. It was now Monday morning, the first day of school.

Matthew: I'm not very happy that school is starting today, but I can't do anything about it now. Oh well, I may as well get a shower before breakfast.

Matthew hobbled out of bed and picked up his soap and shampoo, towel, and a new set of clothes and headed to the washrooms. Once there, he stepped into one of the empty showers and turned on the hot water. He sighed as he felt the water run down his body, waking up him. After the shower, he dried himself off, changed his clothes, brushed his teeth, and went back to his room to gather his supplies for his first school day.

Meanwhile in the cafeteria, Natalie and the gang were sitting at their table enjoying their breakfast. However, Matthew wasn't there.

Natalie: I wonder where Matthew is. I hope he didn't decide to run off again without a word.

Gary: Ah he's probably just getting himself ready for his first day here. Give him a few minutes Nat. He'll be here soon.

As if on cue, Matthew showed up with his bag and his plate of food.

Matthew: Morning everyone.

All: Morning.

Jonah: So Matt, you ready for your first day at Kadic?

Matthew: Yes I am, but I'm not ready to hear my alarm clock wailing in my ear in the morning.

The gang laughed.

Mariah: You'll get used to it. So, what classes do you have for this year?

Matthew pulled out his schedule.

Matthew: Let's see. I have Computer Science, Math, PE, Lunch, Science, Foreign Language, and History.

Gary: Looks like you'll have me for PE and Science mate.

Jonah: I'm with you for Math and History.

Alexis: I got Foreign Language with you.

Mariah: And I have History with you too.

Natalie: And I have you for Math and Science.

Matthew: So it looks like I have at least one class with everyone this year.

All: Yep!

Just then, the bell rang signifying the beginning of the day.

Matthew: Well guys, see you all later on. I'm off to Computer Science.

Natalie: Have a good first day.

Matthew: Thanks, you too.

**8:00 AM-Computer Science Classroom**

Matthew entered his first classroom. The room had 32 desktop computers all of them the same. Matthew chose a seat in the middle of the room and waited for his class to start. A few seconds later, the tardy bell rang and the teacher stood up from his desk. He had short blonde hair, brown eyes, and wore a blue long sleeved shirt, khaki cargo pants, and blue shoes.

Teacher: Good morning everyone. And welcome to my Computer Science class. My name is Mr. Jeremy Belpois and I will be your teacher for this year. Now let me tell you a little bit about myself before we begin. Well to start, I was a student here at Kadic and I graduate as Valedictorian in my class. My wife also went here and graduated with me as the Salutatory. I went to a university in Paris where I earned my Master's Degree in Computer Science and 4 years ago, I began teaching this class. I am also good friends with the PE teacher Coach Ulrich Stern.

Matthew gasped. The PE teacher that he ran into his first day here is best friends with his Computer Science teacher.

Matthew: _(to himself) Boy it's a small world isn't it._

Jeremy: Now enough about me. Let's begin. Beside your computer, you will find a small folder. Inside is a set of tasks that you must accomplish on your computer before the end of the class. There will also be sets of instructions to guide you. If you are stuck and the instructions aren't enough help, please don't be afraid to ask me for help. Now then, you may begin.

***Cue XANA's Theme here***

**Abandoned Factory-Computer Room**

Unknown to Matthew and unknown to everyone else, all the screens on the computer started to flash on. The strange eye looking symbol at Matthew and his gang saw on the core yesterday appeared on every screen and glowed bright red. The wires connecting the computer began to spark as a strange black specter emerged from the computer and began traveling out of the factory. It then split itself a part into six smaller specters. Two of the mini specters headed towards the academy while the others went in other directions.

Matthew turned out to be quite the student in his class. Thanks to his knowledge of computers he nearly done with his tasks that he had in his folder. But unknown to him, the black specter crept through the window and slithered its way onto the floor and towards Matthew's computer. Jeremy thought he saw strange something at the window. He looked but he saw nothing.

The specter slowly crept through the wires of Matthew's computer. Matthew was nearly done with his assignments when his computer started to flash and spark uncontrollably and then completely shut off.

Matthew: What the…hey what's going on?

Jeremy: Something wrong Matthew?

Matthew: Yeah, I was almost done with my assignments when all of the sudden, my computer started to spark up and flash and then it just turned off. I didn't push a button or clicked on anything, it just happened.

Then suddenly, Matthew's screen turned on and he saw the strange eye symbol on his screen.

Matthew: Uhh…Mr. Belpois? Something just appeared on my screen. Like a strange looking eye.

Jeremy: Hmm? A strange looking eye?

Jeremy thought that Matthew was playing a prank or something, then it hit him like a ton of bricks.

Jeremy: Wait a minute…computer shutting off unexpectedly…strange looking eye…oh no no no!

Jeremy shot up from his seat and rushed over to Matthew's computer. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Jeremy: No…no it's impossible!

**Gymnasium**

Ulrich was teaching his class the basics in Physical Fitness when suddenly all the lights began to spark and flicker. Ulrich looked up as the students began to get scarred. Ulrich continued to look at the ceiling lights' wondering what was happening. Then suddenly, the specter emerged from the lights and aimed itself right at Ulrich. He gasped realization now hitting him. He jumped out of the way just in time.

Ulrich: I don't believe it…it can't be…it just cannot be.

**Ishiyama Martial Arts Academy**

Yumi was in the middle of training her students when another one of the mini specters crept in through the door. Yumi didn't notice it at first and neither did her students.

Yumi: Ok everyone, 10 minute break. You've all worked hard.

Students: Yes Sensei.

They bowed at Yumi, who bowed back, and went on break. The specter crept right past her and entered one of Yumi training dummies. The dummy started to move and the strange symbol appeared in his eyes. Yumi thought she heard creaking noise behind her. She turned around and saw the dummy. It gave her a mighty punch in the stomach that sent her into the wall. Yumi groaned in pain as her students watched in awe and confusion. Yumi gathered herself back on her feet and took a good look at the dummy and saw the symbol in his eyes.

Yumi: No…not you…we got rid of you…we destroyed you!

**Odd Della Robbia's House**

Odd was busy in the kitchen making himself some breakfast. He was listening to one of Aelita's newest songs and loved it.

Odd: Boy Aelita sure does know how to make great music. No wonder the SubDigitals wanted her as their DJ.

Odd continued to listen to the music unaware that the fourth of the six mini specters entered his house. It made its way to Odd MP3 player and slowly crept inside. Suddenly, Odd music began to make really loud high-pitched scratch noises. Odd groaned as the sound travelled through his ears. He yanked out his earphones and tried to stop the song, but it didn't. Odd tried again and again, but to no avail. Then the strange looking eye appeared on the MP3's tiny screen. Odd jumped back startled.

Odd: It can't be…it can't be you…not again!

**William Dunbar's House**

William was sitting on the living room couch watching the morning news and eating some eggs and bacon that he made himself for breakfast. He was too busy looking at the screen to notice the fifth mini specter enter his TV.

TV Reporter: We don't know who was behind the wheel at the time of the hit and run situation, but as of right now, police are already investigating possible suspects. Back to you in the studio.

News Reporter: Thank you very much for that update. Moving on to…

William: Hey what happened?

William's TV cut off unexpectedly and he was very puzzled as to why it happened. He tried knocking on the TV in an attempt to turn it on again.

William: Come on you stupid hunk of wires, turn on already!

With one final knock, the TV turned back on.

William: Ah that's better.

But as William sat back down on the couch, he saw something that made him shutter. On the TV screen was the strange looking eye. William knew all too well what it was.

William: No…not you…you were destroyed!

**Jeremy and Aelita's House**

While Jeremy was at Kadic teaching his class, Aelita stayed home by herself. She was on her laptop searching the web for top music ratings. She wanted to see how her music was compared to the others. But before she could get on the internet, the sixth mini specter entered her laptop and caused it to malfunction.

Aelita: Hey what's going on? What's happening?

The computer made a small, sparky explosion that made Aelita jump in fright and caused her to drop her laptop on the floor. She stepped back in case of another explosion but instead she saw the strange eye symbol on her screen. She shuttered in fright as memories of that symbol came flooding back into her head.

Aelita: No…no no no…it can't be!

**Kadic Academy**

Matthew: Mr. Belpois is everything alright? What's going on?!

Jeremy didn't say anything. He was too much in shock by what he saw. He thought that he and his friends were rid of him for good. Jeremy finally found his voice.

Jeremy: XANA is back…


	5. The Warriors Are Back

**_Chapter 5: The Warriors Are Back_**

Matthew: Mr. Belpois, what the heck is going on? Who is XANA?!

Jeremy didn't answer as he was still in too much shock. Just then, the specter exited Matthew's computer and went into the ceiling. It started to malfunction the school's electrical system. So much so, that the school had to do an emergency evacuation. As the students and staff exited the building, Jeremy found Ulrich.

Jeremy: Ulrich, you're not going to believe this, but somehow, someway, XANA has returned. He started messing with one of my student's computer and then his symbol appeared on the screen.

Ulrich: Funny, you should say that, because in my PE class, the lights started to go haywire, and then out of nowhere, XANA's specter came at me.

Jeremy: Well if it's happened to both of us, then it's most likely that it's happened to Odd, Yumi, William, and Aelita. We got to get to the factory and fast! I'll warn Odd and Aelita. You take care of William and Yumi.

Ulrich: Already on it old pal.

Then ran off into the park and headed towards the sewers while trying to make contact with the others. Meanwhile, Matthew found the gang standing together all trying to figure out what's going on.

Matthew: Hey guys! What the heck is going on here?

Gary: You're guess is as good as mine mate.

Natalie: All of the sudden, the school's electrical system started to go bananas. I'm guessing that's why we had to evacuate. Some first day this turned out to be.

Jonah: But why and how on Earth did all of this happen in the first place? There's gotta be an explanation.

Mariah: Hey guys, look over there!

The gang looked to where Mariah was pointing and saw Jeremy and Ulrich running into the park.

Alexis: That's strange. Where are Mr. Belpois and Coach Ulrich going?

Matthew: I don't know, but Mr. Belpois was acting very strange when this happened. It's like he knows something about this. I think we should follow them. Maybe we can find some answers on what the heck is going on around here.

All: Agreed.

So while no one was looking, Matthew and the gang snuck into the park and followed Jeremy and Ulrich. There made sure they kept their distance. They didn't want them to know that they were being followed. Meanwhile, Jeremy and Ulrich arrived at the manhole cover leading into the sewer.

Jeremy: Where you able to get a hold of Yumi and William?

Ulrich: Yeah and they said that the same thing happened to them. XANA possessed one of Yumi's training dummies and William saw XANA's eye on his TV. What about Odd and Aelita?

Jeremy: They're already at the factory. They both said that they saw XANA's eye. Odd saw it on his MP3 player and Aelita saw it on her laptop. I don't know he was able to return, but whatever the reason it can't be good. Let's just get to the factory and find out for sure.

Ulrich lifted off the manhole cover and two friends climbed down the ladder into the sewer. They failed to notice that they were being followed by Matthew and the gang.

Alexis: Looks like they headed into the sewers. But why are they going in there?

Matthew: I don't know, but we're about to find out. Come on guys, let's go.

Matthew lifted off the manhole cover and one by one, the six friends climbed down the ladder into the sewers in pursuit of Jeremy and Ulrich. They followed them until they reached the end of the tunnel where they saw them climbing up another ladder. Keeping their distance, the gang climbed up the ladder and came back outside. They were shocked to see where they were.

Jonah: Well I'll be darn.

Matthew: We're back at the factory.

They saw Jeremy and Ulrich swinging the ropes into the factory and went towards the old elevator. The gang was hot on their tail as they went inside the factory.

* * *

**Abandoned Factory-Computer Room**

The elevator doors opened and Jeremy and Ulrich saw Aelita, Odd, Yumi, and William waiting for them. Jeremy quickly went over to the computer. He was shocked to see it turned on.

Jeremy: How could this be? The supercomputer has been turned on somehow.

Aelita: But how is that possible?

Jeremy: I wish I knew, but whatever the reason, it brought back our old friend XANA.

Yumi: But I thought that your Anti-XANA program got rid of all the replicas and got rid of XANA as well.

Jeremy: That's what we all thought too, but that's not the case. Maybe we did or maybe we didn't destroy all of the replicas, no matter what, we have to fight XANA.

Odd: Well Einstein, do you at least have an idea on how XANA has come back?

Jeremy: I think so. Maybe we were able to destroy all of XANA's replicas, but maybe we weren't able to destroy XANA altogether.

William: Well what does that mean?

Jeremy: You know how the core of Lyoko is in Sector 5 and if it's destroyed, Lyoko is as well? Well that's just it. Maybe we weren't able to destroy XANA's core and thus through all this time, XANA was regaining his power and waiting for the right moment, in this case the right moment was the supercomputer being turned on.

Ulrich: So if XANA does have a core, all we have to do is find it and destroy it right?

Jeremy: If that's the case, then yes. But for now, we don't know. What we do know is that we have to deactivate the tower and stop XANA's attacks. And according to the HoloMap, the activated tower is in the Forest Region. Get to the scanners. I'm going to send you all Lyoko. You never know what XANA's has in store.

The Warriors were about to head to the elevator, when suddenly the elevator doors opened revealing Matthew, Natalie, Gary, Jonah, Mariah, and Alexis. The warriors gasped in shock. Jeremy was very cross.

Jeremy: Matthew, what on Earth are you and your friends doing here?!

Matthew: I should be asking you the same thing Mr. Belpois. What are you and Coach Ulrich and those other people doing here?!

Jeremy: I don't have time to argue with you Stephenson! Get you and your friends out of here now before I report you all to the principal!

Natalie: Matthew, I think you should listen to him.

Matthew: NO! Not until you give us answers. You've been acting strange ever since you saw that strange eye on my screen. You're hiding something and I know it. Now what are you doing with the supercomputer?

Jeremy: I told you I don't have time to…wait a minute…how do you know about this supercomputer Matthew?

Matthew and his friends suddenly looked very guilty.

Ulrich: Matthew, I think there's something that you and your friends aren't telling us.

Matthew looked at his friends. They knew they couldn't keep their secret anymore. He took a deep breath and spoke.

Matthew: You're right. There is something you should know. Yesterday, my friends and I were taking a walk through town. I'm new here and I don't know my way around here so my friends decided to show me. Anyway, it was dark by the time we finished and as we were walking back to the academy, I saw the factory. Curiosity got the best of me and I walked towards it. My friends stopped me before I went in telling me that I shouldn't go in there. But I told them that it would only take a few minutes. So we went inside. We didn't find anything interesting, until we saw the elevator. We went down the elevator and found this room. I was amazed by all of it and I tried to turn on the computer, but it didn't work. We then went further down where we found the core for the supercomputer. That's where I saw that symbol of the eye. At first I didn't think much of it as I found the power switch. I was nervous at first, but I pulled it and turned on the supercomputer. I went back here to try and turn on the computer again, but still nothing happened. After a few more times, I gave up and we went back to Kadic. I'm sorry everyone, but it's my fault. I was the one who turned on the supercomputer.

The old warriors looked at Matthew in disbelief. Jeremy was the most upset.

Jeremy: I am very disappointed in all of you. When we get back to Kadic, I'm going to report you all to Mr. Hamilton.

The gang looked at the ground in shame. Then Aelita spoke up.

Aelita: Wait Jeremy, maybe they can help us. They are involved in this just as much as we are.

Jeremy: Aelita are you crazy?! I am not going to risk the lives of my students to fight XANA. Remember what happened to William? He was possessed by XANA for months against his will. The same thing could happen to them if we're not careful.

Aelita: But think about it Jeremy. What if his attacks are too much for us 5 alone on Lyoko? What if we're not able to destroy XANA's monster by ourselves? We may need their help Jeremy.

Jeremy never liked to argue with his wife, but he knew she was right.

Jeremy: Alright. Matthew, Natalie, Gary, Jonah, Alexis, and Mariah, you six stay here with me right now. Ulrich, Odd, Yumi, William, and Aelita, get to the scanners and get ready. The Lyoko Warriors are back.

* * *

**Now things are going to start to get interesting. What will happen to the old warriors? Will XANA be too much? Will Matthew and his friends go to Lyoko? Only I know what's going to happen, but as for the rest of you, stayed tuned to find out.**


	6. Just Like Old Times

**_Chapter 6: Just Like Old Times_**

Ulrich, Odd, Yumi, Aelita, and William arrived at the scanner room.

Ulrich: Ok Jeremy, we're at the scanners.

Jeremy: Great. I'm starting up the virtualization process. Ok guys, here we go again. Transfer Ulrich. Transfer Odd. Transfer William. Scanner Ulrich. Scanner Odd. Scanner William. Virtualization.

**Lyoko-Forest Sector**

Ulrich, Odd, and William were soon virtualized in the forest sector.

Odd: Boy, feels like old times huh guys?

Ulrich: If you really want it to be like old times, we could have William chasing after us under XANA's control.

William: Ha ha ha ha shut up Ulrich. I like to see how you would like it if XANA possessed you against your will.

Jeremy: Take it easy guys. You all have a job to do. Here come the ladies. Transfer Yumi. Transfer Aelita. Scanner Yumi. Scanner Aelita. Virtualization.

Soon Yumi and Aelita dropped down to the ground beside the boys.

Odd: Good to see you girls back in action after 20 years.

Yumi: Speak for yourself Odd. It's been 20 years since you boys set foot on Lyoko remember?

Jeremy: No time to argue guys. I've just located the activated tower. It's North Northeast from your position. But it's quite far though, so here come your vehicles.

Seconds later, the OverBike, OverBoard, and OverWing were virtualized in front of the warriors. Everyone but William had a means of transportation however.

Aelita: William, do you need a ride?

William: Nope, I'll do just fine. Looks like XANA left me a little souvenir. Now let's roll. SUPER SMOKE!

William took off towards the tower with Ulrich, Odd, Yumi, and Aelita right behind him.

Meanwhile in the factory, Matthew and his friends were watching everything. They were amazed at what they were seeing.

Matthew: So Mr. Belpois, can you tell us what's going on? Who is XANA? What is Lyoko? And how are you guys involved in all this?

Jeremy: It's a long story, so I guess I'll start from the beginning. I discovered this place while looking for parts from my miniature robot. I started up the supercomputer and that's where I saw Aelita, the pink haired woman you all met earlier. Anyway, at first she didn't know who she was because part of her memory got erased. As I got to know her, I figured out that she had to get out of Lyoko and come to Earth. Eventually after countless days and nights, I managed to create a materialization program to bring her here. And with the help of my friends, we succeeded, but XANA wasn't ready to give up.

As we continue to fight him, we discovered some information on how we could destroy him, but that took a little time. During that time, we found a fragment of Aelita's missing memory, but what we didn't know was that it was a trap set by XANA. He erased her memory and got the keys to Lyoko, meaning that he could exit the supercomputer and take over the world. Then something amazing happened. A man named Franz Hopper restored Aelita's memory.

Alexis: Who's Franz Hopper?

Jeremy: Franz Hopper was the creator of Lyoko and the creator of XANA. He is also Aelita's father.

The gang gasped at what they just heard.

Mariah: Wait a minute, I thought Aelita was just a virtual being on Lyoko.

Jeremy: That's what we all thought too, but she wasn't. It turns out that Aelita's missing fragment was her memories from her human years. Yes, she was human from the start but she and Hopper were virtualized on Lyoko to stay safe. Anyway, with Aelita's memory restored, she was no longer attached to XANA. Later on, we discovered that XANA had created replicas of Lyoko and created factories all over the world. Those factories were built to design a robot army that XANA could use to take over the world. We had to do something to destroy all of the replicas. So after that, I managed to create an Anti-XANA program that would destroy him and the replicas once and for all, but it didn't have enough power to work. So Franz Hopper sacrificed himself to give the program enough power and ultimately destroy XANA. Up until now, we thought it worked.

The gang was amazed by the story.

Gary: So this XANA can be a real threat to mankind?

Jeremy: That's exactly right Gary. Now we have to do whatever we can to stop him for good.

* * *

**Lyoko-Forest Sector**

After a few minutes of traveling, the warriors could finally see the glowing red tower.

Aelita: Jeremy, we can see the tower.

Jeremy: That's great guys.

Yumi: Yeah it is, but there's no sign of any monsters.

As if right on cue, Jeremy's screen started to pick up some activity.

Jeremy: Heads up guys, XANA has sent you some monsters. And by the looks of it, he's sending you an entire army.

The warriors looked in front of them and gasped. They saw that XANA had indeed sent an army of monsters after them. There were at least 20 Krabs, 30 Bloks, 10 Tarantulas, 50 Kankrelats, 5 Megatanks, and 20 Hornets. The monsters all saw the warriors coming towards them and they got ready to attack.

Ulrich: Uhh…I think this would be a good time to RETREAT!

The warriors all retreated to a safe distance while the monsters all stood guard not wanting to let the tower get deactivated by any means.

Odd: Jeremy, there's no way we're gonna get to the tower with all those monsters blocking it. This is probably worse than the Kolossus coming after us.

William: Any ideas on how we can get rid of them?

Jeremy: I have one, stealth. Maybe if you all sneak your way around them and attack them from behind, they'll go off attacking you, thus allowing Aelita to sneak past them and get in the tower.

Aelita: Is that the only idea you have?

Jeremy: Yes and it's a risky one, but what choice do we have really?

Ulrich: I guess none. Ok let's do it. William, your Super Smoke probably makes you the stealthiest, so you'll be in front with me, Yumi, and Odd right behind you, and Aelita waiting to enter the tower.

Aelita: Hey, remember Ulrich? I can fight as well. I have powers to you know.

Ulrich: Yes we know, but we need you to deactivate the tower. None of us can do that you know.

Yumi: Alright you two, no arguing here today. We have an army to deal with. Alright William, lead the way.

William: SUPER SMOKE!

William, Odd, Ulrich, and Yumi went off to attack the monsters from behind, while Aelita stayed where she was so that when she had the chance, she could deactivate the tower. It wasn't long before the 4 warriors were behind the army of monsters. Ulrich explained the plan.

Ulrich: Ok guys, here's the plan. We need to take out the stronger forces first, so Odd you handle the Tarantulas, Yumi take care of the Krabs, William you get the Megatanks, and I'll handle the Bloks. Everyone clear on that?

All: Yep!

Ulrich: Alright then. Time for stealth mode. Ready…set…go.

As quietly as they could, the warriors got into position.

Ulrich: I'll go first. SUPER SPRINT!

Ulrich, with his twin blades in hand, sprinted his way towards the Bloks. The monsters didn't see him coming at all as Ulrich managed to slice away at 10 of the 30 Bloks. But as they exploded, the monsters turned around and saw the warriors charging towards them. Yumi with her fanblades in hand, threw them both at 2 Krabs. The fanblades hit both of them and they exploded. Odd shot an array of laser arrows at 3 Tarantulas and was thankful that he hit all 3 of them. William, thanks to his Super Smoke, snuck up behind a Megatank, stabbed his massive blade into the eye, and exploded. However, the monsters were starting to regroup and counterattack. They fired laser after laser at the warriors and soon, they were down to only a few lifepoints left.

Yumi: Guys, I think we need to retreat! We can't hold on much longer.

Yumi was about to retreat until one of the Krabs fired its laser at her stomach and devirtualized her.

Ulrich: YUMI!

Yumi appeared in one of the scanners frustrated at her failure. She gathered herself up and went back to the computer room. Once there, she explained the situation the Jeremy.

Yumi: There's just too many of them. At this rate, Ulrich, Odd, and William will be devirtualized in a second.

Jeremy: We need more help, but where are we going to find more?

Then, an idea came into Yumi's head.

Yumi: What about Matthew and his friends? Remember, they're involved in this just as much as we are. Maybe they can help us.

Jeremy pondered at the suggestion. At first he didn't like the idea of sending them to Lyoko. After all, they were responsible for bringing back XANA. But then again, Ulrich, Odd, William, and Aelita needed help. And he couldn't think of any other way to help. Jeremy made his decision.

Jeremy: How would guys like to help us fight XANA on Lyoko?

The gang just beamed.

All: Count us in!

Jeremy: Alright. You six get to the scanner room and prepare to be virtualized.

Meanwhile on Lyoko, things weren't going as planned for the warriors. Ulrich took a shot to the arm and then another to the stomach. Odd took shots to both of his legs and his chest. William got blasted back by the Megatanks laser and hit a tree behind him. While all that was going on, Aelita was waiting for the right moment to enter the tower. But there were still a lot of monsters guarding it. Ulrich, Odd, and William were able to hide away from the monsters for the time being, but they were low on lifepoints and starting to get desperate.

Ulrich: Jeremy, we can't do it. There's no way we'll be able to take down that army.

Odd: At this rate, we'll be devirtualized before you can say Lyoko.

William: We need some backup Jeremy. Got any ideas?

Jeremy: Yes. I'm sending you Matthew, Natalie, Gary, Jonah, Alexis, and Mariah to Lyoko to help you.

All: WHAT?!

Ulrich: Are you sure that's a good idea? Have you forgotten that they are the ones who are responsible for resurrecting XANA?!

Jeremy: No, I haven't forgotten that, but what choice do we have? If they don't help, Aelita won't be able to deactivate the tower and XANA will continue causing chaos. They're involved in this war just as much as we are. Just hang tight, they'll be there soon.

* * *

**Scanner Room**

Jeremy: Ok, now I need 3 of you to step into one of the scanners if you please.

Matthew: Ladies first.

Natalie: What a gentleman.

Natalie, Mariah, and Alexis stepped into the scanners.

Gary: Ok Jeremy, the girls are ready.

Jeremy: Roger that. Transfer Natalie. Transfer Mariah. Transfer Alexis. Scanner Natalie. Scanner Mariah. Scanner Alexis. Virtualization.

The girls soon arrived on Lyoko for the first time.

Jeremy: Ok boys, your turn.

Matthew, Gary, and Jonah stepped into the scanners.

Jeremy: Transfer Jonah. Transfer Gary. Transfer Matthew. Scanner Jonah. Scanner Gary. Scanner Matthew. Virtualization.

Soon, the boys dropped down into Lyoko and landed next to the girls ready to start their first ever Lyoko mission.

* * *

**So it looks like our new heroes are now Lyoko Warriors. How will they do against XANA and his army? Can they take out all of the monsters? Stay tuned.**

**PS: I need help figuring out what our new heroes should wear on Lyoko and what their weapons should be. If you have any ideas, please post them in a review or shoot me a PM. If I like the idea, I be sure to give you credit in the story. Thank you all so much. FakeACU83 OUT!**


	7. The New Lyoko Warriors

**_Chapter 7: The New Lyoko Warriors_**

When the gang first set foot on Lyoko, they could hardly believe their eyes. To them, Lyoko almost felt like Earth, only virtual.

Matthew: Wow…Mr. Belpois, this is amazing!

Gary: Boy I'll say.

Jonah: It's like we're in a video game sort of. And I love the new duds we're sporting.

The gang looked at themselves and saw that indeed they were wearing different cloths and had their own set of weapons. Matthew was wearing what looked like a one piece racing driver suit. His suit was white with black and gray streaks and black shoes. His weapon was a very large Warhammers.

Matthew: Nice! I'm like Thor! I wonder if this thing can do anything else?

Jeremy: I believe it does. Try charging the energy within the hammer.

Matthew: Well how do I do that exactly?

Jeremy: Just focus your energy onto the hammer and it should work.

So Matthew focused his energy onto his hammer and soon it was glowing bright white.

Jeremy: Now point your hammer at your desired target and say "Lightning."

Matthew chose just an empty spot on the ground.

Matthew: Ok...LIGHTNING!

Just as he said it, a giant bolt of lightning shot out of the virtual sky and hit the ground where Matthew pointed his hammer.

Matthew: Holy cow, I really am like Thor.

Gary: Just be careful of where you're using that.

Matthew: I know what I'm doing. You've changed to Gary.

Gary's top was red under armor with a thick black vest over it. His also wore padded black pants with two boomerang shaped sheaths, black boots and a red bandana around his head. He looked inside his sheaths and took out two iron tipped boomerangs.

Gary: Nice choice of giving me boomerangs. Now I'll be able to fight for my home country in Australia with these.

Jonah: I've changed quite a bit too.

Jonah was wearing a dark orange armored top with black streaks going up and over his armor. The sleeves stopped at his wrist where he had on a pair of black full hand gloves. His pants were also black and were padded like Gary's and he also had black boots. He also had a dark orange fabric belt tied up in front. His weapon was a lot different than Gary's or Matthew's. He weapon was a large war axe type weapon.

Jonah: This ought to be fun to carry around.

Natalie: Well now that you boys have seen your new fashion changes, let's see how we look.

Natalie's outfit was almost like Aelita's old outfit, except her's was light purple with white trimming and the skirt was a little longer and had sheaths for her weapons. For her weapons, she had a set of twin katanas.

Natalie: Nice looking set of blades I have here. I think I could get used to these. What about you Alexis?

Alexis wore a dark green armored top with sleeves that went down to her elbows, black armored gloves that showed just her fingers, tight black leggings and black shoes. She had 6 throwable daggers as her weapons and also a short sword.

Alexis: Pretty snazzy looking gear I must say. Now what about Mariah?

Mariah also wore an armored top, except her's was light pink, almost like Aelita's old outfit. She also had white armored gloves that went up to her elbows, pink leggings with white lines on the sides, as well as white shoes. The weapons that she had were actually two small handheld laser cannons. Like the monsters on Lyoko, Mariah was able to fire lasers also.

Mariah: Laser cannons! Awesome! I'm gonna have some fun with these.

Natalie: So now that we've established our fashion statements, Mr. Belpois, what is Lyoko exactly?

Jeremy: Lyoko is a virtual world that consists of 4 sectors, a core sector, and the Digital Sea. Each of the 5 sectors is different and present different challenges. The sector you all are currently in is the Forest Sector, which is where the activated tower is. And before you ask, the towers are used to help XANA come into the real world. Once he activates one, his specter can sneak out of the supercomputer and come to Earth, which is what happened back at Kadic.

Mariah: It all makes sense now!

Alexis: So what do you want us to do exactly?

Jeremy: You're job right now is to go and find my wife Aelita on Lyoko. She is hiding from the monsters a short distance from the tower. I'll guide you to her and then I'll explain the plan.

Matthew: You got it Mr. Belpois! We won't let you…wait a minute…did you say that Aelita is your wife?!

Jeremy: Oh, did I forget to mention that in the backstory?

All: Yes!

Jeremy: Sorry about that. Yes, I married Aelita a few months after I graduated from college. Now enough about that, get going and find her. Her position is North Northeast from where you all are.

Matthew: Come on gang let's roll!

They took off running in the direction of the tower hoping that they would find Aelita before she got devirtualized. Meanwhile Ulrich, Odd, and William were still in hiding.

Ulrich: Are the youngsters on their way Jeremy? Those monsters look like their starting to get frustrated on not knowing where we are.

Jeremy: They're on the way Ulrich. They're heading towards Aelita at the moment. Once they get there, I'll explain the plan.

Odd: I hope that's it's a good plan this time Einstein.

Jeremy: Trust me on this one Odd. I'm sure that this will work.

After a few minutes of running through the forest, the gang could finally see the activated tower.

Matthew: Mr. Belpois, we can see a tower but its glowing red. What does that mean?

Jeremy: It means that you've reached destination. Red glowing towers means they're activated. Keep going straight ahead and you should see Aelita.

And sure enough, the gang could see Aelita waving at them motioning them to come over.

Mariah: It's ok Mr. Belpois, we see her.

Aelita: Hello there everyone. Nice to see you all made it here safely.

Gary: So what's the plan sir?

Jeremy: Ok you guys listen closely. First of all, since Ulrich, Odd, and William are low on lifepoints, I want you six to go and charge at the monsters. Hit them in the area that has XANA's eye. The monsters are too distracted in finding the other three, so they won't see you coming. Once that most of the monster have been destroyed, I want Ulrich, Odd, William, and Aelita to step in and help finish them off. And once that's done, Aelita will deactivate the tower and we'll be through. Is everyone clear on what to do?

All: Yes sir!

Jeremy: Alright then, get ready…GO!

Matthew and the gang charged at the monsters. As Jeremy predicted, the monsters were too distracted in finding Ulrich, Odd, and William to see them coming. Matthew ran up behind 4 Bloks and smashed his hammers right into their eyes, exploding them in the process. He then jumped up in front of 3 hornets and took them out as well.

Gary came in behind and tossed his two boomerangs at the hornets. Each boomerang hit the eyes of 3 hornets, exploding a total of 6. Soon 9 of the 20 hornets remained. Gary then made his way over to the Kankrelats and with his boomerangs, he tossed them at the little monsters and exploded 5 of the 50.

Jonah used his War Axe to slice up 5 more Kankrelats as well as a Megatank. He then made his way to the Krabs where he sliced his axe underneath them and destroyed 2 more. Then he swung his axe at the eye of a tarantula and destroyed it as well.

Natalie used her twin katanas to cut away at 5 Krabs and 4 Bloks. Alexis used her daggers to stab away at a tarantula, 6 Kankralats, and threw her daggers at 5 hornets destroying all five. Mariah used her handheld laser cannons to blow up a 2 Megatanks, 5 Bloks, and 4 hornets.

Jeremy: Ulrich, Odd, William, Aelita, now's your chance. Get in there and help them.

Ulrich: SUPER SPRINT!

Ulrich charged at the monsters and with his twin blades in hand, he sliced through 10 Kankralats and stabbed his blades underneath 3 Krabs.

Odd: LASER ARROW!

Odd fired a barrage of laser arrows and destroyed 3 hornets, 2 Krabs, and 7 Kankralats.

William used his Super Smoke to sneak up behind the Kankralats and spun his massive blade around slicing up 7 more of them. He then jumped up onto a Krab and stabbed his blade into its eye and then jumped over to another Krab and did the same thing.

Aelita: ENERGY FIELD!

Aelita came out of her hiding spot and fired 4 Energy Fields at the Kankralats destroying all 4 of them. She then fired her Energy Fields at 2 Bloks and 2 Tarantulas destroying them as well.

Soon all that was last of XANA's army were 4 Krabs, 5 Bloks, 3 Tarantulas, 12 Kankralats, 1 Megatank, and 3 Hornets.

Jeremy: Great job everyone! XANA's army is now thinning. Now let's finish them off.

Odd: You got it Einstein. CHARGE!

The old warriors and the new warriors charged at the remaining monsters and with a barrage of laser arrows, many energy fields, slices of blades, blows from hammers, throws of boomerangs and daggers, and blasts from laser cannons, the monsters fell.

The warriors had done it. They had destroyed an army of XANA's monsters for the first time. Everyone cheered and celebrated at their success.

Ulrich: I don't think we've ever killed that many monsters before on Lyoko.

Odd: I thought the Kolossus was bad, but this was worse.

William: But we did it guys. I don't know how but we did.

Aelita: And I think we should thank our new warriors for their help.

Ulrich, Odd, William, and Aelita looked at the Matthew and his gang.

Ulrich: Thank you guys. Without you all, we probably wouldn't stand a chance against them.

Odd: You guys got the guts and the strength of real Lyoko warriors.

William: Even though you guys brought back XANA, I think you all have what it takes to take him down. And we'll help you guys.

Aelita: You all should feel proud of yourselves. Right Jeremy?

Jeremy: Indeed, both Yumi and I agree that they will make fine Lyoko Warriors.

The gang just beamed.

Jeremy: Ok princess, time to deactivate the tower once again.

Aelita walked over and slowly entered the tower. She made her way to the certain of the XANA shaped platform and ascended to the top. The interface appeared and she placed her hand on it. She then entered Code: Lyoko.

Aelita: Tower deactivated.

The tower turned from red to blue. The gang saw this and were confused.

Natalie: Mr. Belpois, the tower just changed color. It's not red anymore but it's blue. What does that mean?

Jeremy: Towers are color coded. Red means that they have been activated by XANA and blue means that they are inactive.

Matthew: So when it turns from red to blue, the tower becomes deactivate?

Jeremy: That's exactly right Matthew.

Matthew: Boy, we sure have a lot to learn about Lyoko.

Odd: Don't worry, you'll learn it all eventually.

Just then, Aelita emerged from the tower looking pleased.

Aelita: The job is done Jeremy. You can bring us back now.

Jeremy: Roger that Aelita.

* * *

**Abandoned Factory-Computer Room**

After Jeremy brought everyone back, he began to work on a Return to the Past.

Jeremy: Ok everyone, time to return to the past.

Matthew: WAIT! Wouldn't returning to the past erase our memory of all this?

Jeremy: Good question. The return to the past will erase everyone else's memory but not the Lyoko warriors. And since you all are full-fledged Lyoko Warriors now, you all will be immune to them. So don't worry, you'll still remember these events, just everyone else will not.

The gang gave a sigh of relief and as Jeremy pressed the Enter key.

Jeremy: Return to the past now.

A massive white light consumed the warriors, the factory, the academy and everything else. When the light faded, Matthew saw that he was back in Jeremy's class. It was Monday, the first day of school. Matthew walked up to Jeremy very nervous.

Matthew: Uhh…M…Mr. Belpois? D…do you remember anything at all about my friends and I on Lyoko?

Jeremy: Lyoko? What on Earth are you talking about Mr. Stephenson?

Matthew's face turned pale. But Jeremy just laughed.

Jeremy: Ha ha! Just kidding. Yes Matthew, I remember what happened. And now I have to say this, Welcome to the Lyoko Warriors.

Matthew gave a big sigh of relief. Jeremy winked at Matthew as he made his way back to his seat to start his tasks again.

* * *

**Not too bad huh? Now I must ask you as the viewers, what do you all think of the new warriors outfits and weapons? Do you all like them or do they need to be changed around a bit. Leave a review of shoot me a PM and tell me what you think. Thanks a bunch! FakeACU83 OUT!**

**By the way, I want to give a big thank you to Flipicerbot for the idea for Matthew's weapon.**


	8. Crash Course Part 1: Learning Curve

**_Chapter 8: Crash Course Part 1: Learning Curve_**

The rest of the week went by quick for Matthew and his friends. No attacks from XANA and work was going like clockwork. Soon it was Saturday and Matthew and the gang were hanging out at their usual spot on the bench in the courtyard.

Matthew: Boy this week went by fast. I guess keeping busy with all that homework made the time fly by.

Gary: But the weird thing is that there have been no attacks from XANA. And from what Mr. Belpois told us, XANA usually attacks almost on a daily basis.

Jeremy: You're quite right Gary.

The gang looked behind them and saw Jeremy walking towards them.

Gary: G'day Mr. Belpois. Sorry, we didn't see you coming.

Jeremy: That's quite alright, but you do have a point. It is unusual for XANA to be this quiet. I don't know what he's planning, but it can't be good. But that's not why I'm here.

Natalie: Then why are you here then?

Jeremy: I'm here specifically for Matthew.

Matthew: Why me sir?

Jeremy: Because I have a new assignment for you and it involves Lyoko.

Matthew listened closely.

Jeremy: I understand that you have some knowledge when it comes to working with computers, is that right?

Matthew: Yes sir. Otherwise I wouldn't be in your class.

Jeremy chuckled.

Jeremy: Yes well, I've had a thought. Knowing how unpredictable XANA can be with his attacks, it has come to my attention that at times, neither Aelita nor I may be able to send you all to Lyoko if he attacks. If that does happen, I'm going to need someone who can do the job for us and that's where you come in Matthew. It's time to give you a crash course in transferring people to Lyoko.

Matthew: What? Transferring you all to Lyoko? I'm not sure…

Jeremy: Don't worry, I'll be there to guide you through the course, but there will be a time where you will need that training to help you friends get to Lyoko.

Matthew: Well if you say so sir. So when do I begin?

Jeremy: We will begin as soon as we get to the factory. Bring your friends to because we're going to test you to see if you can transfer your friends onto Lyoko. See you there!

Matthew: S…see you there.

Jeremy walked away to the factory leaving Matthew worried.

Jonah: What's wrong Matt? You should be excited.

Matthew: I know I should be, but I'm not. I know I'm good with computers but I'm not that good. I don't know if I'm capable of sending you to Lyoko by myself.

Gary: Don't beat yourself up mate. You haven't even tried yet.

Alexis: Yeah, who knows, it might be pretty easy. You just have to try it out.

Natalie: And don't worry about us. We trust that you'll get us to Lyoko safe and sound.

Matthew felt better at his friend's encouragement.

Matthew: Thanks guys. That really helps. Now let's get to the factory.

Gary: Right behind ya mate!

* * *

**Abandoned Factory-Computer Room**

Jeremy was waiting for Matthew and his friends when they arrived.

Jeremy: Ah good, you're all here. Now we can get started. Matthew, come and take a seat.

Matthew went over to the computer chair.

Jeremy: Ok let's begin. First of all, when a tower has been activated, you must first locate it on Lyoko using the HoloMap. A glowing red orb will appear in one of the sectors on the Holomap, signifying that there is an activated tower. Once you have located it, you must then enter the coordinates of where you want your friends to be virtualized. I recommend a little distance away from the tower, because you never know if there will be monsters guarding it. Once you enter the coordinates, you then start up the virtualization process. The first you do for that is you select the person you want to transfer via the ID cards that appear here on the screen. Then you start the scanners for those who are going, hit the ENTER key and PRESTO they will appear on Lyoko. You understand?

Matthew: Yes sir I think so.

Jeremy: Ok then, let's give it a try.

He turned to the gang who were watching him teach Matthew.

Jeremy: Ok, you 5 head down to the scanners. Matthew is going to virtualize all 5 of you.

All: Good luck Matt!

Matthew: Thanks guys.

Natalie walked over to him and gave him a quick kiss on his cheek making Matthew blush like mad.

Natalie: You'll do great don't worry.

Matthew: Thanks Natalie.

Natalie smiled as she walked towards the elevator and descended to the scanner room. Soon, the 5 friends arrived at the scanners. Gary and Jonah stepped in first.

Mariah: Ok Mr. Belpois, we're at the scanners and Gary and Jonah are ready to go.

Jeremy: Roger that Mariah. Ok Matthew, it's your turn.

Matthew took a deep breath.

Matthew: Ok here we go. I'm sending you all to the Desert Sector.

Gary: Go for it mate.

Jonah: Ready when you are.

Matthew looked at the Holomap and chose the destination. He then entered the coordinates and the ID cards appeared on the screen. He then chose Gary and Jonah's ID card.

Matthew: Transfer Gary. Transfer Jonah.

The scanner doors for Gary and Jonah closed.

Natalie: So far so good…

Matthew then started the scanners.

Matthew: Scanner Gary. Scanner Jonah.

And with one last deep breath, he pressed ENTER.

* * *

Matthew: Virtualization!

**Lyoko-Desert Sector**

Gary and Jonah soon dropped down landing in the Desert Sector just as planned.

Jonah: It's ok Matt. We're here in one piece.

Gary: Way to go mate! Ya did it!

Matthew gave a big smile.

Jeremy: Good work Matthew, now for the girls.

Matthew: Right. Ok ladies, your turn.

The girls stepped into the now 3 empty scanners. Matthew typed in the coordinates for the Desert Sector again chose their ID cards.

Matthew: Transfer Natalie. Transfer Alexis. Transfer Mariah.

The scanner doors closed and Matthew started them up.

Matthew: Scanner Natalie. Scanner Alexis. Scanner Mariah.

Feeling much more confident with himself, he pressed ENTER again.

Matthew: Virtualization!

Soon, the girls dropped down beside Gary and Jonah.

Mariah: You did it Matt! We're all here in the Desert Sector.

Jeremy: Good work Matthew. Now you 5 just hang out there for a second. I'm going to teach Matthew how to virtualize himself.

Matthew looked at Jeremy shocked by what he just heard.

Matthew: Wait…I'm going to do what now?!

Jeremy: You're going to virtualize yourself. It's not hard, you just got to do an extra step before you start. All you have to do is set a timer before you begin the transfer. You'll then have 2 minutes to get to the scanners before time runs out. Everything else you do is the same.

Matthew: Ok here goes nothing.

Matthew first entered the same coordinates he did with his friends. He then chose his ID card and started the 2 minute countdown.

Jeremy: That's your cue to get to the scanners. Better hurry.

So Matthew got up from the chair and descended down the ladder leading to the scanner room. He stepped into the scanner with 20 seconds remaining.

Matthew: I'm here Mr. Belpois, ready to be virtualized.

Jeremy: Good work. Just 10 more seconds.

After 10 seconds, the scanner doors closed and the scanner started up by itself. And as if like magic, it virtualized him. He soon dropped from the virtual sky beside his friends.

Matthew: Mr. Belpois, can you hear me? I made to the Desert Sector and everyone else is here.

Jeremy: Congratulations Matthew, you just passed your crash course.

Matthew felt proud and his friends congratulated him as well.

Jeremy: I knew you could do it Matthew. And for your success, I have a little something for you. Since XANA's last attack on Monday, I figured you all would need your own personal Lyoko Vehicles.

The gang gasped.

Mariah: Our own vehicles. Awesome!

Jeremy: Yes it is, but there's a catch. I can't create a vehicle for each of you. I can only create 3. One of them is already complete and the other 2 need a little work. And I figured since Matthew got you all here on his own, I figured he could get the first one. What do you all think?

Gary: I think he deserves it.

All: Yeah!

Jeremy: Good answer. So Matthew, here's is you vehicle. I think you'll like it very much.

Jeremy then programmed Matthew's vehicle and it was soon virtualized it front of him. Matthew's eyes went wide in astonishment. His vehicle was the same configuration as a Formula 1 racecar, with a few modifications. It was the same color as his outfit, white with black and gray streaks, and had 2 seats sitting behind the steering wheel instead of the standard one seat. It also had 2 small laser cannons, one on each side of the car.

Matthew: Woooooow…I can't believe it…

Jeremy: May I present to you, The OverRacer. Like Ulrich's OverBike, it has the ability to travel over land and air at the push of a button. And with the 2 laser cannons, you can be able to fire at enemies while driving. Go ahead, take it for a spin.

Matthew climbed into the driver seat of the OverRacer.

Matthew: Any of you guys wanna come along?

The gang looked at each other and motioned that Natalie should go with him. Natalie blushed a bit, but accepted the offer.

Natalie: I'll go with you Matt!

She then climbed into the passenger seat behind Matthew and held on tight.

Jeremy: Matthew, start your engine.

Matthew: With pleasure. Ready for a little ride Natalie?

Natalie: I'm ready.

Jeremy: Ok Matthew. On your mark…get set…GO!

Matthew pushed the throttle wide open and took off. He screamed through the virtual desert having the time of his life.

Matthew: WOO-HOO! This is awesome Mr. Belpois! Thank you!

Jeremy: I'm glad you're enjoying it. Now let's see how it is when you're flying it. There is a bright yellow button on the right side of the steering wheel. Press that and you're start flying.

Matthew: Ok then.

Matthew found the button and he pressed it. As soon as he did, the wheels began to rotate until they were horizontal. He felt his car starting to float. He then pulled his steering wheel back and his car began to ascend into the sky. He then turned around and flew by his friends who were watching him in awe.

Matthew: Mr. Belpois, I don't know what to say…

Jeremy: You don't need to say anything. You deserved it. Now let's bring you 2 in for a landing. Press the yellow button again when you're close to the ground and you'll stop flying.

So Matthew then descended until he was about the touch the ground. He then pressed the flight button again and the wheels rotated again until they were now vertical. He felt the wheels touch the ground and began to slow down. He stopped beside his friends and he and Natalie climbed out with the biggest smiles on their faces.

Natalie: Matthew, that as amazing! You really could be a real racing star.

Matthew: Thanks Nat. That means a lot.

Jeremy: Ok you guys, time to bring you all back. Materialization Mariah. Materialization Alexis. Materialization Jonah. Materialization Gary. Materialization Natalie. Materialization Matthew.

* * *

**Abandoned Factory-Computer Room**

Jeremy: Well everyone, that concludes Matthew's crash course. You all are excused. You better get back to the campus before they start wondering where you all are.

Matthew: Mr. Belpois, do you really think I'm ready to run the supercomputer if I have to?

Jeremy: There's no doubt in my mind.

Matthew: Thank you so much sir. I won't let you down.

* * *

**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Stay tuned for more.**

**PS: Who do all, as the viewers, think the other two vehicles should go to and what should they be? Leave a review or PM me with suggestions. The more suggestions, the better. Thanks! FakeACU83 OUT!**


	9. Crash Course Part 2: Put to the Test

_Previously on Code Lyoko: New Youth_

_Jeremy: I'm here specifically for Matthew._

_Matthew:__ Why me sir?_

_Jeremy: It's time to give you a crash course on transferring your friends to Lyoko_

_00000000_

_Matthew: I know I'm good with computers but I'm not that good._

_Gary: Don't beat yourself up mate, you haven't even tried._

_00000000_

_Matthew: Virtualization!_

_Mariah: You did it Matt! We're all here in the Desert Sector!_

_Jeremy:__ Congratulations Matthew, you just past your crash course._

_00000000_

_Jeremy:__ Say hello to the OverRacer._

_Matthew: WOO-HOO! This is awesome Mr. Belpois! Thank you!_

_00000000_

_Matthew: Mr. Belpois, do you really think I'm ready to run the supercomputer if I have to?_

_Jeremy: There's no doubt in my mind._

_Matthew: Thank you so much sir. I won't let you down._

* * *

**_Chapter 9: Crash Course Part 2: Put to the Test_**

After Matthew learned about how to virtualize his friends on Lyoko, Jeremy helped him install the Super Scan program on his laptop, so in case XANA activates a tower, Matthew's laptop will be able to pick it up. However, XANA has been quiet for the past week and this concerned Jeremy and Matthew greatly, but they tried not to worry about it too. It would have been better if they did.

* * *

**Lyoko- Ice Sector**

Within the Ice Sector of Lyoko, one of the many towers there turned from blue to red. XANA was on the attack once again. In the computer room of the abandoned factory, the wires sparked and flashed as XANA's specter crept out of the computer. It made its way out of the factory and made its way towards Kadic.

Meanwhile over at Kadic, Matthew and Natalie had just finished their Science class for the day and were packing up their things getting ready for their next class. Unbeknownst to them or any of their classmates, XANA's specter crept in through the window and snuck right past them. It made its way over to their Science teacher and went inside her body, possessing her. Her eyes briefly showed XANA's eye, but changed back to normal after a moment.

As Matthew, Natalie, and the rest of the students were leaving, the teacher called them both back.

Teacher: Matthew, Natalie, may I see you two for a moment?

The two friends were confused as to why she needed them, but made their way over to her desk.

Matthew: What's the problem ma'am?

Teacher: The problem is that on both of your tests that you took yesterday, you both did very poorly.

Matthew and Natalie's jaws dropped straight to the floor.

Matt &amp; Natalie: WHAT?!

Matthew: B…but…but…how is that possible?

Natalie: We've wrote down all the notes and studied them over and over again and your telling us that we've failed somehow?!

Teacher: That's exactly what I'm saying young lady.

Matthew: That can't be right. Something must be wrong.

As soon as Matthew stopped speaking, he heard an alarm coming from his laptop. He took it out of his computer bag and gasped at what he saw on the screen.

Matthew: Oh no, activated tower.

Just then, Matthew had a thought.

Matthew: _(to himself) Wait a minute…the teacher saying that we failed our tests just as a tower activates…_

Matthew finally put two and two.

Matthew: Wait a minute here…XANA!

The teacher's eyes changed to XANA's eye and the teacher quickly lunged at them in an attempt to keep them from going to Lyoko. Unfortunately for her, Matthew and Natalie jumped out of the way and took off down the hall towards Jeremy's classroom.

Matthew: We've got to the tell Mr. Belpois that XANA is attacking.

Natalie: I agree, but how did you know that it was XANA?

Matthew: Simple, we know we did well on that test and when she told us that we've "failed" and when the scan picked up the activated tower, put two and two together and there you go.

Natalie: I have to say, I'm impressed. Now let's find Mr. Belpois.

* * *

**Computer Science Classroom**

Jeremy was sitting at his desk waiting for his next class to begin when Matthew and Natalie came rushing in panting for breath.

Jeremy: Matthew? Natalie? What is the meaning of this? I have a class the begins in a few minutes and…

Matthew: XANA is attacking Mr. Belpois!

Jeremy: What?

Matthew: XANA has possessed our Science teacher and my laptop picked up an activated tower. Natalie and I are on our way to the factory, but we need Mrs. Belpois with us so she can deactivate it.

Jeremy: I'll warn Aelita right now.

Natalie: And we'll head to the factory. Come on Matthew, no time to warn the others, we gotta go!

Jeremy took out his phone and dialed his wife's number.

* * *

**Jeremy and Aelita's House**

Aelita was sitting in a chair outside on the front porch reading a book and drinking some tea when her phone rang. She looked at it and saw that it was Jeremy.

Aelita: Jeremy? What's wrong?

Jeremy: Aelita, XANA has activated a tower on Lyoko. Matthew's laptop picked it up and he and Natalie our on their way to the factory. XANA has possessed the science teacher and we need you to go with them and deactivate the tower ASAP. I'll go find Ulrich and we'll try our best to keep the teacher from getting to the factory.

Aelita: Ok Jeremy, I'm on my way.

Aelita hung up her phone and set her book down on the table. She then got up from her chair and took off towards the factory while Jeremy went to the gymnasium to find Ulrich.

**Abandoned Factory**

Matthew and Natalie arrived on the bridge leading to the factory. They were able to gain some distance on their now possessed science teacher as they entered the elevator and descended to the computer room. When they arrived, Matthew quickly got into the seat and prepared the virtualization process.

Matthew: Ok time to put my training to the test.

He started to locate the activated tower on the HoloMap just as Aelita arrived in the lab.

Aelita: Oh good, you're both here already. Have you located the tower?

Matthew: Yes Mrs. Belpois, I just did. Apparantly it's in the Ice Sector of Lyoko. I'm going to send all three of us there. The more of us, the better off we'll probably be.

Aelita: Good idea. We'll head to the scanners.

As Aelita and Natalie went down to the scanners, Matthew entered the coordinates of virtualization in the Ice Sector and selected his, Aelita's, and Natalie's ID cards. He also virtualized his OverRacer so that they could get to the tower quicker. He then started the 2 minute countdown and climbed down the ladder to the scanners. Once there, he, Natalie, and Aelita stepped in and prepared to be virtualized.

* * *

**Lyoko-Ice Sector**

The 3 warriors were soon virtualized and dropped down from above. A few seconds later, The OverRacer was virtualized in front of them. Matthew jumped in the driver seat with Natalie hopping in the passenger seat behind him. He then realized that he forgot to program a vehicle for Aelita.

Matthew: Oh no…I forgot to bring you a vehicle Mrs. Belpois.

Aelita: Oh don't you worry now Matthew. I have my own means of transportation.

Matthew and Natalie looked at her confused as Aelita motioned her hand over her star-shaped wrist watch that revealed her pink angelic wings. Matthew and Natalie gasped at what they saw.

Matthew: Wooooow…

Natalie: We didn't know you had an angel's wings Mrs. Belpois.

Aelita giggled a little bit.

Aelita: I guess my husband forgot to mention that.

Matthew: I guess, but let's focus on our mission. We have a tower to deactivate. Follow me, I know where it is.

Matthew took off through the virtual glacier with Aelita flying closely behind him. Meanwhile back on Earth, the XANAfied science teacher was soon at the factory. It made its towards the elevator unaware that it was being followed. Jeremy had found Ulrich outside on the track and field area doing various running exercise with his class. When Jeremy told him that XANA was on the attack, he quickly agreed to help, with of course telling his students that he'll be right back and that Jeremy had to speak with him for a moment. They then made their way to the factory and that's when they saw the possessed teacher heading towards the lab.

Jeremy: Ulrich, do you think that you can hold her off while I try to help Matthew, Natalie, and Aelita on Lyoko?

Ulrich: No problem. I'm used to this.

Ulrich then charged at the possessed teacher yelling at the top of his voice to get its attention.

Ulrich: HEY XANA! REMEMBER ME?

Ulrich lunged at the teacher and tackled her to the ground while Jeremy used it as a distraction to slip past them and make his way to the lab.

Meanwhile on Lyoko, Matthew, Natalie, and Aelita could now see the activated tower in sight.

Natalie: There it is. There's the tower.

Matthew: But no sign of XANA's forces anywhere.

Aelita: I don't like the looks of this at all.

Jeremy: Neither do I Aelita.

Aelita: Jeremy at last. What happened to Ulrich?

Jeremy: He's taking care of the teacher outside the factory. He said he could handle it, but we still have to hurry.

Suddenly, the computer started to pick up some activity.

Jeremy: Heads up! XANA's sent you his welcoming committee.

The warriors looked ahead and saw 4 Tarantulas guarding the tower.

Jeremy: Matthew, time to test out you laser cannons. Look for a blue button on the left side of the steering wheel. Press and hold that button to fire the cannons.

Matthew: Let's get up in the air first. We'll have a better chance at hitting them from above. Natalie, get your katanas out. If I miss the monsters, you can use them to try and hit them.

Natalie: Good thinking Matt.

Natalie readied her twin katanas as Matthew pressed the flight button and ascended into the virtual sky. The tarantulas saw them coming and they prepared to attack. Matthew placed his finger over the fire button.

Matthew: Here we go…FIRE!

The laser cannons shot a barrage of lasers at the Tarantulas. Matthew was able to take out one of them but missed the second one. But thanks to Natalie having her twin blades, she was able to slice up the second Tarantula and destroy. Aelita used her Energy Fields to get rid of the last 2 Tarantulas with ease. However, XANA wasn't ready to back down just yet.

Jeremy: Watch out! XANA has sent some reinforcements.

And indeed he did. XANA sent in more monsters in the shape of 8 Krabs. They fired multiple lasers at the warriors, who were desperately trying to dodge them all, but were unsuccessful. One Krab shot down Aelita's wings and she plummeted to the ground hard, costing her 40 lifepoints. Another Krab was able to shoot down the OverRacer. Matthew and Natalie fell from the sky and landed on the ground costing them 40 lifepoints each. The warriors were surrounded by the Krabs. Aelita used her Energy Fields to try and destroy them, but the Krabs were able to dodge all of her attacks. Natalie tried to attack them head on, but was forced to use her blades to block the lasers to keep herself from being devirtualized. Matthew kept swinging his war hammer at the Krabs in an attempt to try and destroy them, but to no avail. He couldn't use his Lightning ability because he was too focused on trying to destroy the Krabs and trying not to be devirtualized. Jeremy watched it all unfold on the screen. He then looked over to one of the security camera screens to see Ulrich still trying to hold off the possessed teacher, but by the looks of it, he couldn't hold out for much longer.

Jeremy: Come on guys, hurry up. Ulrich's not going to last much longer with the XANAfied teacher.

Aelita: We're doing our best Jeremy! There's just so many of them!

Aelita took a blow to her chest costing her another 10 lifepoints. Natalie took a few blows at her stomach area as well as her left leg leaving her with just 20 lifepoints left. Matthew took a few blows to both his legs and his right arm leaving him with just 20 lifepoints. He thought that it was all over. Then he had an idea.

Matthew: Girls, keep trying to distract them. I have a plan.

Natalie: If you say so, but make it fast.

Natalie and Aelita distracted the Krabs as much as they could. It was good enough for Matthew to sneak away and hide behind a nearby iceberg.

Jeremy: Matthew, what are you doing?! Natalie and Aelita need your help!

But Matthew didn't answer. He focused his energy onto his Warhammer until it started to glow bright white.

Matthew: _(to himself) Ok here goes._

He reemerged from his hiding spot and sprinted his way towards the Krabs.

Matthew: MRS. BELPOIS! NATALIE! INCOMING!

The girls and the Krabs looked behind them and saw Matthew charging towards them. Aelita and Natalie used the opportunity to run away while the Krabs were distracted. Matthew saw a ramped iceberg and smirked. With the Krabs firing multiple shots at him and missing him, Matthew ran up the iceberg and jumped high into the air screaming to the heavens.

Matthew: SHOCKWAVE!

He swung his massive hammer hard onto the icy ground causing a massive shockwave that blasted all the Krabs away and into the Digital Sea. Natalie and Aelita came out of their hiding spot and stared at Matthew in awe. Jeremy couldn't believe what he just witnessed either. Natalie sprinted her way over to Matthew and gave him the biggest hug ever.

Natalie: That was amazing what you just did. You created your own ability and saved us.

Aelita: That was probably the most spectacular thing I have ever seen on Lyoko.

Jeremy: Very well done Matthew. I'm proud of you.

Matthew just beamed.

Jeremy: Ok Aelita, time to deactivate the tower.

Aelita walked into the tower and centered herself on the platform, while Ulrich was still trying to hold off the possessed teacher. He was tired and beat up enough, but wasn't ready to give up.

Ulrich: *panting* Is…is that all…you got XANA? Come on…after 20 years…I thought that your fighting skills…would improve.

The possessed teacher lunged at his one last time, while Aelita typed in Code: Lyoko.

Aelita: Tower deactivated.

The aura around the tower changed from red to blue once again, and XANA's specter left the teacher's body leaving her to fall to the floor unconscious.

Ulrich: Phew, just in time.

Jeremy: Well done you three. Another tower deactivated, another one of XANA's plots foiled. Time to return to the past.

Jeremy typed in the date and time for the return to the past and pressed ENTER.

Jeremy: Return to the past now!

The glowing white light consumed everything and faded away. Matthew and Natalie saw that they were back in there science classroom getting ready to leave once again. Matthew looked over at Natalie who just smiled.

Natalie: *whispering* You did great back there. Thank you.

Matthew couldn't help but smile and blush a little bit.

Matthew:_ (to himself) Looks like that training really did pay off when it counted the most._


	10. Brewing Rivalries

**_Chapter 10: Brewing Rivalries_**

**Lyoko-Mountain Sector**

We find the warriors currently battling a group of Bloks that were guarding an activated tower. XANA had attacked a little while earlier and now Gary, Jonah, Natalie, Alexis, Mariah, and Aelita were trying to stop him. Matthew was in the factory handling the supercomputer with Jeremy at his side in case he needed any help. The warriors were doing quite well battling and soon the Bloks were all destroyed and the way was clear for Aelita.

Matthew: Way to go everyone. Another one of XANA's armies destroyed. Now let's deactivate the tower. It's your turn Mrs. Belpois.

Aelita entered the tower and centered herself on the platform, while in the factory, Matthew was preparing for the return to the past. Aelita then opened the interface and entered Code: Lyoko.

Aelita: Tower deactivated.

The tower turned from red to blue once more and Aelita reemerged from it.

Gary: Mission accomplished mate. You can go ahead and launch the return to the past.

Matthew: Ok. Return to the past now!

* * *

**Kadic Academy- Saturday 1:30 PM**

Matthew: Well guys, that's another one of XANA's plans foiled. I say we're starting to get pretty good at being Lyoko Warriors.

Gary: I agree with ya there mate. But the only thing is, if XANA keeps attacking us on a daily basis, how are we gonna keep up with our schoolwork and fight XANA at once?

Matthew: We'll figure out a way. Besides, if Mr. Belpois and his friends were able to do it back then, then we might be able to do it also.

Alexis: I gotta say I like his confidence.

?: Excuse us!

The gang turned around and saw two 12 year old girls walking towards them with a video camera and a recorder. They were twins and they both had short brown hair that went down to their shoulders and wore dark pinkish shirts, blue jeans, and black shoes. The only difference between the two was that their eyes were different colors. The one holding the camera had brown eyes and the one holding the recorder has green eyes.

Recorder Girl: We're sorry to interrupt, but are you Matthew Stephenson by any chance?

Matthew: Yes, that's me. And who are you to?

The girl holding the recorder introduced herself first.

Recorder Girl: I'm Carrie and the one holding the camera is my twin sister Casey. We work for the Kadic News and we were wondering if we can ask you a few questions since we don't know a lot about you.

Matthew: Sure why the heck not. Ask away ladies.

Casey started rolling the camera and Carrie stood beside Matthew holding the recorder.

Carrie: This is Carrier and Casey reporting from Kadic Academy and we're here with the newest student on the campus Matthew Stephenson.

Matthew: *waving to camera* Hello.

Carrie: Since Matthew is new to the campus, we decided that you all should get to know him a little better. So to start with Matthew, tell us a little about yourself please.

Matthew: Well, I'm originally from America, more specifically North Carolina, but I lived in New York since I was about 6 years old. However, it wasn't all that great up there. I made fun of by all the kids at my old school because of my Southern Accent. They said that I should go back to the farms where I belong.

Carrie: That's just awful!

Matthew: I just wish that they could understand the same thing.

Carrie: So what made you come here to Kadic?

Matthew: Well my dad's job got transferred from New York to France and so we were forced to move. At first I wasn't happy about it and I still had my doubts about moving here when we arrived. But after a few days I started to get used to it. The day after we moved in, my dad took me here to get me enrolled and now here I am.

Carrie: Quite a story Matthew. Now what are some things that you like to do?

Matthew: Well for starters, I love to watch Formula 1 races. I'm a big fan of the sport and always dreamed of being a racing star. I also love to hang out with my friends that are sitting behind me.

He pointed over to the gang who just smiled.

Matthew: These guys have really been my first real friends and not people who just make fun of me over my accent. They've been true pals and I wouldn't want any other friends.

Carrie: Well there you all have it. That's the newest student Matthew Stephenson for you. This is Carrie and Casey signing off.

Casey stopped rolling the camera and turned it off.

Casey: Thank you for your time Matthew.

Matthew: No problem. You two take care now.

Carrie and Casey walked away to the printing room to begin publishing the next issue of The Kadic News.

Jonah: Looks like I know the next paper I'm going to be reading.

Gary: Same here mate.

Natalie: Looks like you gave them the best scoop so far.

?: Ah…what's so great about a Yankee anyway.

The gang turned around and saw a 16 year old boy walking towards them. He had medium length black hair, brown eyes, and wore a white long sleeved undershirt with a pitch-black T-shirt over it, black jeans and shoes. He looked at Matthew with a very intimidating look but Matthew stood his ground and spoke to the boy sternly.

Matthew: What was that buddy?

Boy: What are you a deaf Yankee to?

Matthew: Hey, you have no right to call me that. I've done nothing to you and here you come walking up and saying stuff like that and you don't even know me! What's your problem?

Matthew anger got the best of him and he got up from the bench and was about to fight him, but Gary and Natalie restrained him.

Gary: Easy there mate. Don't do anything that you'll regret later.

Natalie turned to boy and gave him a death glare.

Natalie: Get out of here before we rat you out to the principal.

Boy: Ok ok I'm going, but I got my eye on you Matt.

The bad boy walked away and Gary and Natalie released Matthew from their grip, but Matthew was still seething.

Matthew: Just who does that guy think he is!

Mariah: That is Brandon. He's always been like that. He thinks that he's so high and mighty that he thinks he runs the place. He never does anything in his classes, but somehow he gets away with it all.

Matthew: But why is he so hung up on me? I didn't do anything.

Natalie: I think I know why…

Matthew: Y…you do?

Natalie looked at Matthew and then to the rest of her friends with a sad look in her eyes.

Natalie: Should I tell him guys?

Gary: I think since he's our good friend, he should know.

Matthew: Know what? What's going on here Natalie?

Natalie plucked up all of her courage and began to speak.

Natalie: I used to be Brandon's girlfriend.

Matthew's eyes went as wide as dinner plates.

Matthew: Whoa whoa whoa...hang on a second…what? He's your ex-boyfriend?

Natalie: Yes…

Matthew: But why did you go out with him in the first place?

Natalie: I had no choice. He forced me to go out with him. He said if I refused, that I would regret it later. I never liked being with him ever. I saw him harassing my other friends and other students. I wanted to speak up, but if I did he would try to hurt me. Then one day I had enough. I told him that I was breaking up with him. He got so angry that he threw me against lockers and was about to hurt me when the principal came up and stopped him. He saw everything and he suspended him. I knew that he would want revenge, so I've been trying to stay away from him ever since. And I think since he saw me with you Matthew, I think that he's going to try the same to you.

Natalie covered her eyes with her hands as tears came flooding out of them. Matthew gently wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in to a gentle hug. Natalie quickly wrapped her arms around him and cried into his chest obviously very concerned for herself and Matthew.

Matthew: Can I have a moment alone with Natalie please?

Gary: Sure thing mate. I think she needs it.

The gang left Matthew and Natalie alone as she continued to cry. After she stopped crying, Matthew lifted her chin and spoke.

Matthew: I know that you had a rough time with Brandon, but I promise you that I won't let that happen to you again, even if it means risky my safety for you.

Natalie: Would you really do that for me?

Matthew: Not just for you, but for all of my friends.

Natalie stared at him through her tear soaked eyes. Then without warning, she wrapped her arms around Matthew's neck and pulled him in until their lips met. Matthew was caught off guard, but after a few seconds, he returned this kiss. After a few more seconds, they pulled away and looked at each other lovingly.

Matthew: I've wanted to tell you this since the day you first ran into me, I love you Natalie.

Natalie blushed bright red and smiled the biggest smile ever. She hugged him tightly once again.

Natalie: I love you to Matthew. Thank you for being there.

Matthew: That's what friends are for Natalie.

After they let go of each other, they got up from the bench and walked back to the gang hand in hand, but unbeknownst to them, Brandon was watching them from the shadows with anger written all over his face.

Brandon:_ (to himself) That dang Yankee is gonna pay for stealing my girl! I'll make sure of it._


	11. Looking for Answers

**_Chapter 11: Looking for Answers_**

The first 2 months of the new school year seemed to just fly by, and soon it was already October. Autumn was in full swing as the weather got cooler and the leaves started to change color.

One cool Friday afternoon, Matthew was in his dorm room, on his laptop, video calling his parents. He knew he hadn't talked to them since he enrolled and decided to give them a quick shout. A few moments later, his parents answered the video call.

Matthew: Hey mom and dad!

Mr. Stephenson: Matthew my boy, how is everything?

Matthew: It's been great dad. Turns out you were right. I did get used to this place after a while and now I'm enjoying being here.

Mr. Stephenson: Well I'm glad to hear it son.

Mrs. Stephenson: So what have you been up to lately?

Matthew: I've been hanging out with my new group of friends?

His parents were surprised.

Mr. Stephenson: Really now?

Matthew: Yep. They're not like the other kids back at my old school. They don't make fun of me just because of my accent. They're real true friends. Although, there is one kid that I'm worried about.

Mrs. Stephenson: Which one?

Matthew: His name is Brandon. He's the only one who makes fun of me for no reason. In fact, he does that to everyone. He never does well in his classes and somehow he gets away with it. He walks around all high and mighty like he owns the place. And even though he gets suspended for his actions, he still keeps doing it, no matter what the consequences are.

Mrs. Stephenson: Well you just do what you can to stay out of his way and ignore him.

Matthew: That's what my friends and I have been doing for the past few months. So far it's worked…for now.

Just then, Matthew heard a knock at his door, followed by the sound of Jonah's voice.

Jonah: Hey Matt, you in hear? It's us!

Matthew: Yeah, I'm in here. The door's unlocked, come on in!

The whole gang opened the door and walked in his room.

Gary: Hey there mate. Who're talking to?

Matthew: Just talking to my parents.

He turned back to his laptop and faced his parents.

Matthew: Mom, dad, these are my friends I was talking to you about. This is Gary, Jonah, Alexis, Mariah, and Natalie.

All: Hello!

Mr. Stephenson: Hello there youngsters.

Mrs. Stephenson: So nice to meet you all. Matthew hasn't been too much trouble for you all has he?

Gary: No ma'am. He's been no problem. He's one heck of a mate to be around with.

Mrs. Stephenson: Glad to hear it.

Mr. Stephenson: And young Miss Natalie looks like a keeper for you Matthew. Is she your girlfriend?

Matthew and Natalie blushed a deep shade of red as the rest of the gang snickered.

Matthew: Yes she is.

Mr. Stephenson: Natalie, let me just tell you, you got yourself a good one there.

He gave the two lovebirds a wink and Natalie blushed an even brighter shade of red.

Mariah: Honestly sir, we kind of saw it coming between those two.

Alexis: Yeah, we thought they would be cute together.

Mrs. Stephenson: They sure do.

Gary: Anyway Matt, we were planning on heading out around town for the afternoon. We wanted to know if you wanted to join us.

Matthew: Sure, meet me outside. I'll be just a few more minutes.

The gang turned and left the room as Matthew turned back to his parents.

Matthew: Well it looks like I gotta go, but I'll keep in touch with you when I get the chance.

Mr. Stephenson: We know you will son. Take care and have fun with your friends.

Matthew: I will. Love you both!

Mrs. Stephenson: Love you to dear.

Matthew ended the video call and left his room to join his gang.

* * *

**Jeremy and Aelita's House**

Meanwhile Ulrich, Odd, Yumi, and William were walking up to Jeremy and Aelita's house to see if they wanted to join them for a nice dinner, since they really hadn't had the chance to hang out as old friends since their days at Kadic.

The crew walked up to the porch and rang the doorbell. The waited for a few seconds, but didn't receive an answer. They tried again, still no answer. They tried a third time, and still nothing. They tried a few more times, and gave up after they received no answer yet again. Yumi tried opening the door, but found it to be locked up tight.

Odd: Well that's strange. Where could they be?

William: Aren't they usually here around this time anyway?

Ulrich: Well yeah they are, but for some reason, this time they're not.

Then, an idea came to Yumi.

Yumi: I think I know where they are.

Ulrich: You do? Where?

Yumi: Think about it Ulrich. With everything that's gone on since the beginning of the new school year, where do you think they would be.

The boys gave it some thought and finally figured out what Yumi meant.

Odd: Ooooooh, I get it.

Yumi: *smirking* Come on boys, let's go!

They walked away from the porch in search of the two geniuses.

* * *

**Abandoned Factory-Computer Room**

Jeremy and Aelita were in the factory typing away at the supercomputer, trying to figure how exactly XANA could have survived Jeremy's Anti-XANA program. They've been searching for a good 2 hours, but found nothing. Jeremy was starting to get frustrated.

Jeremy: Ugggh…I just don't get it. How could he have survived my program? Even with the power your father provided us, it still didn't work. But how?

Aelita: Jeremy calm down please. We'll find out why, I know we will. We just need to be patient.

Jeremy: You're right Aelita. I'm sorry.

Aelita gave her husband a small hug and a gentle kiss on the cheek. Jeremy smiled and went back to typing away. Aelita tried to help to on her laptop, but she couldn't find anything either. Then, she had an idea.

Aelita: Jeremy, what about Sector 5?

Jeremy turned away from the screen and looked at her curiously.

Jeremy: What about it?

Aelita: If we can't find anything here, maybe we can find some data as to why XANA survived in Sector 5.

Jeremy: That's a good idea Aelita. Ok, get to the scanners. I'm starting up the virtualization process.

Aelita set her laptop aside and went over to the elevator. But before she could, Jeremy grabbed her wrist.

Jeremy: Be careful Aelita, okay. You never know what XANA has planned.

Aeltia gave a cheeky smile.

Aelita: You know Jeremy, I love the way you worry about me. But don't worry, I'll be careful.

Jeremy released her wrist and Aelita descended on the elevator and arrived at the scanners.

Jeremy: Ok Aelita, prepared to be virtualized in Sector 5.

Aelita stepped into one of the three empty scanners as the doors closed.

Jeremy: Transfer Aelita. Scanner Aelita. Virtualization.

* * *

**Lyoko-Sector 5**

Aelita was soon virtualized within the dome of Sector 5.

Aelita: Wow. I can't believe it's been 20 years since I've set foot in this place.

Jeremy: I know. It's amazing how fast time has flown by. But get ready, the door's about to open. You know the drill Aelita, get to the Celestial Dome and use the interface to see if you can find anything. And remember, you don't need to trigger a key to stop the countdown. We got rid of that when we recreated Lyoko. I'll keep a look out for any activity around you.

Aelita: Got it Jeremy.

A few seconds later, the door leading into the labyrinth of Sector 5 opened and Aelita ran out towards the Celestial Dome. With no key needing to be triggered, it made her journey a lot easier. Soon she arrived at the Celestial Dome and the interfaced appeared in front of her. She started to tap away at the many pop-ups that appeared on the interface hoping to find some kind of information or data on how XANA survived.

Meanwhile back at the factory, the elevator doors opened and Jeremy saw that Ulrich, Odd, Yumi, and William had arrived.

Jeremy: Oh hey guys. How did you know we were here?

Yumi: Well after everything that has happened since the beginning of the year, we figured you two would be here.

Odd: So, what are you two Einstein's doing here anyway? We thought you guys wanted to hang out and go to dinner with us. We hadn't really had the chance to hang out like old buddies for a while.

Jeremy: Sorry Odd, but as Yumi said, with everything that has happened recently, Aelita and I just had to find out how XANA has survived.

Ulrich: Well have you found anything at all?

Jeremy: Sadly no.

William: And where's Aelita?

Jeremy: She's in Sector 5 of Lyoko. She figured that if we can't find anything here, maybe Sector 5 could have something.

Yumi: Does she need any protecting?

Jeremy: As of now, not yet. But be ready just in case she needs you.

Odd: No problem of pal. It will be just like old times.

Jeremy turned back to the screen and Aelita.

Jeremy: Aelita, have you found anything yet?

Aelita: No not yet. It's like XANA is keeping his resurrection top secret or something. I can't find anything as to how he survived your program.

Jeremy hung his head in defeat.

Aelita: Don't worry Jeremy, I'll keep looking. I'm not ready to…AHH!

Jeremy: Aelita? Aelita, are you ok?!

Aelita: Yes, I'm fine, but I won't be for long.

Aelita could see that she was surrounded by 4 Mantas and 8 Creepers.

Jeremy: Hang in there Aelita. I'm sending back up.

He turned to his friends.

Jeremy: Looks like she needs you. 4 Mantas and 8 Creepers have her surrounded. She's still trying to find some data, but she won't hold out as long as those monsters are there.

William: We're on our way Jeremy.

The 4 warriors raced down to the scanners and prepared themselves to be virtualized.

Jeremy: Ok guys here we go. Transfer Ulrich. Transfer Odd. Scanner Ulrich. Scanner Odd. Virtualization.

Ulrich and Odd dropped down into the dome of Sector 5 and waited for Yumi and William.

Jeremy: Transfer Yumi. Transfer William. Scanner Yumi. Scanner William. Virtualization.

Yumi and William landed beside Ulrich and Odd and they ran off to find Aelita.

Meanwhile Aelita was firing a barrage of Energy Fields at the monsters while searching the interface at the same time. Her plan wasn't working however. The monsters continued to fire at her and soon she was down to only 30 lifepoints. She continued to tap away at the interface, but was getting worried. The monsters were charging up their lasers, getting ready to fire at her again. She waited for them to fire…

Ulrich: SUPER SPRINT!

Ulrich charged in with his twin blades in hand, and before any of the monsters could fire, Ulrich sliced through 3 of the 8 Creepers. The monsters were stunned and turned their attention to attack the warriors instead. Aelita used the opportunity to continue looking for answers.

Odd shot an array of laser arrows at 2 more Creepers, destroying them, then jumped towards a Manta and used his cat claws to help control it. He aimed the Manta at another Manta and at the last moment, he jumped off as the Mantas collided with each other, destroying both of them.

Yumi used her duel fanblades to try and destroy another Manta, but missed her shot. She tried again, and this time, she hit it dead center. She then turned her attention to a Creeper that was about to fire at Aelita. The Creeper charged its laser, but before it could fire, Yumi threw one of her fanblades at it, destroying it.

William, using his Super Smoke, snuck up behind the last 2 Creepers. He spun around in a circle, twirling his massive butcher blade at them, slicing them in half, thus destroying them. Using his Super Smoke again, he made his way on top of the last Manta and stabbed his blade deep within the eye of XANA. He jumped off just in time as the Manta exploded.

During all this time, Aelita continued to search for any possible answers. She was starting to get just as frustrated as Jeremy was. She couldn't find any possible explanation as to how XANA could have survived. She was so focused on the task at hand, that she didn't realize that the crew had destroyed all the monsters. The warriors understood this and stepped back to give her time to work. Jeremy was also working hard in the lab to try and find possible answers as well. But he still couldn't find anything.

Jeremy: *groan* It's no use Aelita. We can't find anything. We may as well call it a mission and bring you all back.

Aelita finally admitted defeat.

Aelita: *sigh* Ok Jeremy, bring us home.

Aelita shut down the interface as Jeremy prepared to materialize the crew. But before he could, something popped up on his screen.

Jeremy: Huh, what's this?

Odd: What is it Jeremy?

Jeremy: I was just about to bring you all back, but then something popped up on my screen.

Yumi: What sort of something?

Jeremy: I'm not sure. It looks like some sort of encrypted code. I'm trying to decipher it, but it's incredibly encrypted. So it may take a little time.

The crew was confused as to what Jeremy saw on his screen. Then Aelita remembered something.

Aelita: Wait a minute…Jeremy, is the code still coming in?

Jeremy: Yes Aelita, why?

Aelita: Bring us back quickly!

Jeremy: Ok ok.

He materialized everyone back within minutes and Aelita sprinted her way up the ladder and towards the computer. She stared at the computer screen as the rest of the crew rejoined her. Jeremy was left completely confused by Aelita's sudden change in behavior.

Jeremy: Aelita, what's going on?

Aelita didn't answer as she practically shoved Jeremy out of the chair and sat in it herself. She began typing away at the code.

Jeremy: Aelita, it's going to takes a few months to decipher that code.

Aelita: You may think that Jeremy, but I can do it.

Aelita continued to type away at the keys and Jeremy watched her with interest. Aelita suddenly began to the reveal the code. Jeremy gasped.

Jeremy: But...but how? How were you able to do that so quickly?

Aelita: Because I recognize the coding on this message. I'm surprised that you don't remember. You were able to decipher this style code a long time ago.

Jeremy: What on Earth are you…

Jeremy didn't finish his sentence as he finally understood what Aelita had meant.

Jeremy: You…you don't mean.

Aelita: Read for yourself dear.

She got up from the seat and Jeremy quickly sat in it. He looked at the message that Aelita had decoded and gasped.

Jeremy: I…I can't believe it…

Ulrich: What is it? What does it say?

Jeremy read the message to the crew.

Jeremy:_ Lyoko Warriors. You all may not remember, but I had helped you before. And I can help you all now. I know how XANA survived your Anti-XANA program. You all were able to destroy all of XANA's Lyoko Replicas using the program and thus destroyed his robotic army that he was going to use to take over the world. But what you weren't able to do is to destroy XANA's core. Yes, just like Lyoko, XANA also has a core. And just like Lyoko, if his core is destroyed so will XANA. The problem is, is that his core is very well hidden somewhere in the Digital Sea. It is located in a Replica type world. Your mission is to find that world and find his core. Once you do that, you must all use you power at once to destroy it and destroy XANA once and for all. I will help you in any way I can just as I did when I helped give your Anti-XANA program all that power._

That crew gasped at what they just heard in that last sentence.

Odd: Wait…so…

Yumi: That message that Aelita decoded…

William: That…that was from…

Jeremy: Franz Hopper.


	12. Plan of Attack

**_Chapter 12: Plan of Attack_**

**Abandoned Factory-Computer Room**

Ulrich: Wait a minute…so what you're saying, is that message that Aelita just decoded is a message from her father, Franz Hopper?

Jeremy: That is exactly what I'm saying Ulrich. Looks my theory on XANA's core was correct. Now all we need to do is try and find it and destroy. And hopefully with his help, we can destroy XANA for good.

Yumi: But how? He said in the message that XANA's core is very well hidden somewhere in the Digital Sea. How are we gonna be able to find it?

Jeremy: First, I need to try and locate it using the HoloWeb System. Once I do that, then all we need to do is pilot the Skid towards XANA's world, crack the code, and we're in. The only problem is, with it being well hidden, it will take my time to try and locate it.

He then turned to Aelita.

Jeremy: Aelita, do you remember anything at all about your father telling you about XANA?

Aelita thought hard as her young childhood memories flooded through her brain.

Aelita: No, I don't remember, at least not right now.

Jeremy: Well either way, I'll need some time to try and find XANA's world. Until then, we'll have to continue to fight him on Earth.

William: Ok but another question. In his message, he said that once we find his core, we'll have to all our power at once to destroy it. What does he mean by that?

Jeremy: What he means is that you 5 will have to strike XANA's core with your weapons at the same time.

William: Us 5?

Jeremy: Yes William, you 5.

Odd: Uh…I think you missed counted Einstein.

Jeremy: What are you talking about Odd?

Odd: I think what Hopper means by all of us are us old warriors and our new warriors.

Jeremy's eyes went wide for a split second.

Jeremy: NO! Absolutely not! I am not, and I mean NOT, going to risk the lives of these 6 children to go into the Digital Sea to fight in XANA's world!

Aelita finally snapped.

Aelita: Jeremy, my father gave a very specific message. He made it very clear that he needed all of us to use our powers at XANA's core together. If we don't then XANA wins. What do you not understand about that?!

Jeremy stood there silent and still. He looked at his friends who were all giving him stern looks. Part of him was against the idea of sending Matthew and the gang to XANA's world. On the other hand, Aelita was right. Hopper's message clearly stated that all of the warriors had to strike at XANA's core in order for him to be defeated. Jeremy gave a big sigh.

Jeremy: You're right Aeltia. I worry way too much. If we want XANA gone for good, then it's going to take all of us to take him down. The old warriors and the new warriors.

His friends smiled at him.

Ulrich: So what should we do?

Jeremy: Obviously our main focus is on finding XANA's world and destroying his core. But what we really need to focus on is training Matthew and his friends. They're still new to Lyoko and to XANA. They need to be trained in every possible aspect if they're going to help us. So for now, that's what we need to focus on.

Yumi: And how are we going to go about doing that?

Jeremy: Aelita and I will set up a Lyoko training program for each of them. They'll have to have training in all sectors including Sector 5 as well as the Digital Sea. And maybe, if need be, Aelita can train Matthew on how to pilot the Skid.

William: That brings up another question. The Skid can only hold up to 5 of us. If we're all going to go to XANA's world, how are all 11 of us warriors going to get there if there's no room in the Skid.

Jeremy: That's a good point William. I may have to upgrade the Skid's capacity levels so that all of you are able to travel. I'll probably also upgrade some of its features just to be sure.

Aelita: We'll also have to try and find any information on where XANA's world is during that time. The more info we have, the better.

Jeremy: So, everyone clear on the plan?

All: Yep!

Jeremy: Ok. It's Friday so Matthew and his friends will be able to come here. We'll explain what we discovered and what the plan is for each of them. I'll go to Kadic and see if I can find them. The rest of you, just hang out here until I get back.

Jeremy made his way over to the elevator and ascended up to the top floor of the factory on his way back to Kadic.

* * *

**Kadic Academy-5:00 PM**

Matthew and the gang had just got back from their stroll around town and we're about to hang out in the recreation room when they saw Jeremy walking towards them.

Matthew: Hey Mr. Belpois! How are you today?

Jeremy: Not too good young Matthew. My friends and I have just discovered something very important.

Natalie: What is it? Does it have something to do with XANA?

Jeremy: Yes, it does deal with XANA, but follow me to the factory and we'll tell you all everything.

Alexis: *whispering* I don't like where this is going.

Mariah: *whispering* Neither do I.

The gang followed Jeremy back to the factory. They failed to notice that they were being watched by Brandon who was eavesdropping on the entire conversation from a nearby tree.

Brandon: What are they talking about? What is this about going to a factory and who the heck is XANA? Well…I'm about to find out for sure.

Keeping his distance, he quietly followed Jeremy and the gang into the park. Meanwhile, Jeremy and the gang lifted off the manhole cover and descended into the sewers that lead to the factory. Seconds after they closed the lid, Brandon came out into the opened. He had followed the gang into the park, but didn't see them going into the sewers. He kicked the grass in frustration.

Brandon: Dang it! Where did they go now?

* * *

**Abandoned Factory-Computer Room**

The elevator doors opened once again to reveal the computer room where Ulrich, Odd, Yumi, William, and Aelita were waiting for Jeremy to return with Matthew's gang. Jeremy sat in the chair facing the gang and his friends gathered around him.

Gary: So what is this about sir?

Jeremy: Aelita and I were trying to find out how exactly XANA survived my Anti-XANA program that we launched 20 years ago in an attempt to destroy XANA for good. Finding nothing here, Aelita went to Sector 5 to see if she could find anything. However, we didn't find anything, but before I could bring her back here, a message appeared on my screen.

Jonah: What sort of message?

Jeremy: It was an encrypted message, a message that needs to be decoded in order for it to be read properly. At first we didn't know what it was, but Aelita did.

Aelita: Normally it takes weeks or sometimes months to decode a message, but I was able to decode it within a few short minutes.

Matthew: How exactly?

Aelita: Because I recognized the coding style of the message. We have seen that kind before when we were fighting XANA all those years ago. It was a message from Franz Hopper, my father.

The gang gasped at what they just heard.

Matthew: Wait…Mr. Belpois, I thought you said that Franz Hopper sacrificed himself to help give your program enough power to work.

Jeremy: I thought so to, but that's not the case anymore. Franz Hopper sent us this message regarding XANA and how he survived.

He read the message out to the young warriors.

Jeremy: _Lyoko Warriors. You all may not remember, but I had helped you before. And I can help you all now. I know how XANA survived your Anti-XANA program. You all were able to destroy all of XANA's Lyoko Replicas using the program and thus destroyed his robotic army that he was going to use to take over the world. But what you weren't able to do is to destroy XANA's core. Yes, just like Lyoko, XANA also has a core. And just like Lyoko, if his core is destroyed so will XANA. The problem is, is that his core is very well hidden somewhere in the Digital Sea. It is located in a Replica type world. Your mission is to find that world and find his core. Once you do that, you must all use you power at once to destroy it and destroy XANA once and for all. I will help you in any way I can just as I did when I helped give your Anti-XANA program all that power._

The gang listened carefully and stood there in awe.

Natalie: So really XANA survived because his core wasn't destroyed.

Jeremy: That's right Natalie.

Matthew: But, how are we going to destroy XANA's core?

Jeremy: In the message, it says that you warriors must use your powers to strike the core together. It's simple as that, but there's a problem. The world that XANA's core is in is well hidden in the Digital Sea. It will take some time for me to locate it, and until I do, we've come up with a plan for you 6. Since you all are still learning the ropes of Lyoko, we've decided to give you all a little training in Lyoko. What we have in mind is giving you all a solo mission on Lyoko where you all have to destroy XANA's monsters in all the sectors as well as learning your way in the Digital Sea. That way, you all will be more than prepared for when we have to face XANA head on. Are you all clear on that?

All: Yes sir.

Jeremy: Good. For now, we need to finalize what we want you to do for your missions. So for now, just stay alert for any attacks from XANA until we're ready to start your training. Understand?

All: Understood!

* * *

**Now we know how XANA survived after all these years. But will our new heroes be ready to face him? Only I know the answer to that! XD**

**Note: I need some ideas for each of the member's solo mission. If any of you guys have an ideas, please please PLEASE leave a suggestion in a review or a PM. I look forward to seeing what you all have in your creative minds. Thanks a bunch. FakeACU83 OUT!**


	13. Prepare for Training

**_Chapter 13: Prepare for Training_**

It had been about a week since Jeremy explained the plan to Matthew and his gang. During that time, he and Aelita had been in the factory hard at work developing a Lyoko Training Program for the 6 young warriors. Finally, after many hours of programming and hard work, the program was complete.

Aelita: Do you think that this program will work Jeremy?

Jeremy: I have confidence in this program Aelita. I'm sure that it will work. Now all we need is our young warriors.

Aelita: I'll go to Kadic and get them.

Jeremy: Ok Aelita. I'll stay here and get the program ready.

Aelita walked over to the old elevator and ascended to the top floor. She then made her way out of the factory and over towards Kadic.

* * *

**Kadic Academy- 4:00 PM**

It was the end of another day of classes for the gang. Matthew, Jonah, and Mariah had just finished up their History Class together and were now waiting outside in the courtyard for Gary, Alexis, and Natalie. It wasn't long before Gary and Alexis walked out, but Matthew, Jonah, and Mariah were confused as to why they didn't see Natalie with them.

Matthew: Hey guys, where's Natalie? Isn't she usually with you after class?

Alexis: Yeah, she is but she said that she had to run to her room to drop off her homework. She said that she'll be back in a minute.

Matthew: Oh okay then. Just wondering.

Then gang waited and waited, but Natalie didn't show up. They've waited for good 5 minutes, but still no Natalie.

Gary: Huh, that's weird. It shouldn't take her this long to just drop off her homework, should it?

Mariah: No it shouldn't. I wonder what's keeping her? I hope no nothing bad happened.

The gang was trying to figure out where Natalie was when Aelita walked up beside them.

Aelita: Hello everyone.

Jonah: Oh hello Mrs. Belpois. What brings you here?

Aelita: I'm here to tell you all that it's time to begin your Lyoko Training. Jeremy and I have developed a training program for you all on Lyoko for the past week, and now it's time to get started.

Matthew: Well, we would love to start Mrs. Belpois, but right now, we don't know where Natalie is. She didn't come back with Gary and Alexis and we've been waiting for her for 5 minutes and she still hasn't shown up.

Aelita: Well that's strange. I wonder where she is?

Matthew: I don't know, but I'm going to try and find her.

Gary: I'll go with ya mate. We'll cover more ground if we look together.

Matthew: Good idea. Come on Gary.

Aelita: Hurry back you two.

Matthew: We will ma'am. Don't worry.

Matthew and Gary walked back into the campus in search for Natalie.

* * *

**Natalie's Room**

Natalie was just leaving her room after dropping off her backpack and homework. With it being Friday, she would have the whole weekend to work on it before turning it in on Monday. She was just leaving her room and began making her way back to the courtyard to join up with her friends when a voice called out from behind her.

?: Hey Natalie!

Natalie froze. Fear began to set in as she recognized the voice. She turned around slowly to see Brandon walking up to her.

Natalie: What…what do you want Brandon?

Brandon: Oh nothing, I've just been curious about you and that Yankee Matthew.

Natalie: Yeah, so what about him?

Brandon: I thought I made myself pretty clear last time. You're my girl and no one else's!

Natalie: I WAS your girl, but not anymore! I'm very happy being with Matthew. He's polite, funny, and great to be around with. Everything you weren't! Now if you'll excuse, I gotta meet up with my friends.

Brandon was fuming as Natalie walked down the hall towards the courtyard.

Brandon: And what are you gonna do with them? Gonna hang out with this XANA?

Natalie stopped right where she was when she heard Brandon say XANA's name.

Natalie: What are you talking about?

Brandon: I heard rumors about you and your gang dealing with a guy called XANA. Who is he? Are you cheating on Matthew over him?

Brandon smirked evilly as he saw the fear in Natalie's eyes. Natalie tried her best to act like she didn't know what he was talking about.

Natalie: You must have heard wrong Brandon. I don't know what you're talking about. Now leave me alone please.

Natalie was about to walk away again when Brandon, out of pure anger, shoved her against the wall.

Brandon: Now listen you, I don't know what you guys are up to, but I'm going to find out and you're going tell me right now!

Natalie: Let me go! Let me go now!

As Brandon held her down, he failed to notice that he was being watched. Matthew and Gary were on their way to Natalie's room to see if she was there, when they heard what sounded like a major argument. They followed the sound of the yelling and were shocked to see where it was coming from. As they turned a corner, they saw Brandon holding Natalie against the wall outside her room and Natalie struggling to break free. Matthew's blood boiled at the sight of it.

Matthew: Gary, go find the principal quick. I'll help Natalie.

Gary: Got'cha mate.

Gary ran off towards the principal's office while Matthew went off to help his girlfriend.

Matthew: Hey Brandon!

Brandon turned his attention to Matthew.

Brandon: Well well well, what do we have here?

Matthew: Let her go now!

Brandon: Oh yeah? And what are you gonna do about it?

Brandon let go off Natalie and stood in front of Matthew with an intimidating look on his face. But before he could do anything at all…

?: BRANDON!

Brandon looked up and saw Mr. Hamilton walking towards with Gary. Gary found him strolling the hallways just not too far away from Natalie's room. He told him what he and Matthew saw and asked him to help.

Mr. Hamilton: That's is enough out of you young man! Gary told me what he and Matthew saw and I must say I am not happy. I'm suspending you for 3 weeks for you actions.

Brandon stomped away fuming, while Matthew went over to Natalie and helped her up.

Matthew: Are you ok? Did he hurt you?

Natalie: No, but he was about to if you and Gary hadn't shown up. Thank you.

Natalie, still shaken, gave Matthew a big hug and a quick kiss before Mr. Hamilton walked over to them.

Mr. Hamilton: I want to say I'm proud of you Matthew. You stood your ground and didn't physically get involved.

Matthew: That's what friends do.

Mr. Hamilton: Indeed. Well take care you three. See you later.

Mr. Hamilton left the three friends and walked back to his office.

Matthew: I'm glad you're alright, but now we gotta get to the factory. Mrs. Belpois said that it's time for our Lyoko Training.

Natalie: Ok, let's go.

The trio made their way back to the courtyard where they saw the rest of the gang waiting for them.

Mariah: There you all are. What happened to Natalie?

Matthew: Brandon, that's what.

Alexis: No need to say anymore. We can figure out the rest.

Aelita: Well now that everyone is here, let's get to the factory.

Aelita lead the gang into the park and to sewers. They failed to realize that Brandon was watching them from a distance.

Brandon: *smirking* Well, now that I'm suspended, I have time to figure out what those guys are doing. And this time, I won't fail.

He quickly and quietly followed them into the park and watched them descend into the sewers. After a few seconds, he made his way into the sewers and saw the gang following Aelita to the end of the tunnel. Keeping his distance, he followed them until they went up the ladder and left the sewers. After a few more seconds, he made his way up the ladder and out of the sewers. He saw them entering the old factory and walking towards the elevator.

Brandon: Heh heh…now I've got 'em. I'll have to stay here and wait until they leave.

* * *

**Abandoned Factory-Computer Room**

Jeremy was starting to get impatient. It shouldn't have taken Aelita 30 minutes just to get the gang. Finally, the elevator doors opened revealing Aelita, Matthew, and the rest of gang.

Jeremy: About time you all arrived. What took you all so long?

Matthew: Long story short Mr. Belpois, Brandon was harassing Natalie. But Gary and I stopped him.

Jeremy: Well done to you both. But now is the time to begin your training.

Jonah: So what do you have for us sir?

Jeremy: Here's the plan. Over the week, Aelita and I have developed a Training Program for you 6. What the program is going to do is simulate an attack from XANA. What you all are going to do is be virtualized in different sectors and doing a Mach-run of a XANA attack. You all will have to make your way to a specific tower that will be activated by me as quick as you can. Waiting for you there will be a set of monsters that I have recreated and control. Your task then is to destroy them all as quick as you can. Is that clear?

All: Yes sir.

Jeremy: Very good. Now listen carefully. Matthew, you will be going to Sector 5. Gary you'll go to the Ice Sector. Jonah, you'll go to the Desert Sector. Natalie will go to the Forest Sector. Alexis will go to the Mountain Sector. And Mariah will also go to the Ice Sector. And before you ask Gary and Mariah, I will activate a specific tower for both of you in the same sector just in different places, so that you both will be separated and doing your mission solo. So now that we have that settled, everyone to the scanners.

The gang made their way down the elevator and to the scanner room.

Jeremy: Ok, since you all are going to be in different sectors, I'm going to have to virtualize you all one at a time. So Matthew, you go first.

Matthew stepped into one of the scanners as the doors closed him in.

Jeremy: Transfer Matthew. Scanner Matthew. Virtualization.

* * *

**Lyoko-Sector 5**

Matthew dropped down and landed inside the spinning dome on Sector 5.

Matthew: Wow…is this the core sector of Lyoko that you talked about before?

Jeremy: Yes it is young Matthew.

Matthew: This doesn't look like a place that would hold a tower.

Jeremy: That is true. It is rare for a tower to appear in Sector 5, but with the training program, I managed to create one just for this occasion.

Matthew: That makes sense.

Jeremy: Now just wait there while the others are virtualized. Ok, Gary and Mariah are next.

Gary and Mariah stepped in the scanners.

Jeremy: Transfer Gary. Transfer Mariah. Scanner Gary. Scanner Mariah. Virtualization.

* * *

**Lyoko-Ice Sector**

Gary and Mariah dropped down into the Ice Sector.

Mariah: We're here Mr. Belpois.

Gary: Go ahead and send Jonah.

Jeremy: You heard them Jonah. It's your turn. Transfer Jonah. Scanner Jonah. Virtualization.

* * *

**Lyoko-Desert Sector**

Jonah soon dropped down into the virtual desert ready to start his training mission.

Jonah: Ok Mr. Belpois, who's next in line?

Jeremy: Next in line is Miss Natalie. Transfer Natalie. Scanner Natalie. Virtualization.

* * *

**Lyoko-Forest Sector**

Natalie was next to drop down from the virtual sky and land in the Forest Sector.

Natalie: Is that almost everyone sir?

Jeremy: Just one more Natalie. I need to virtualize Alexis. Transfer Alexis. Scanner Alexis. Virtualization.

* * *

**Lyoko-Mountain Sector**

Alexis dropped down and landed in the Mountain Sector. Finally all of the new warriors have virtualized in Lyoko.

Alexis: That should be it right Mr. Belpois?

Jeremy: Yes Alexis, that's everyone. Can you all hear me properly?

All: Yes sir.

Jeremy: Ok good. Now the towers that I have activated will give off a green aura instead of XANA's red. Remember, get there as quick as you can and destroy the monsters as quick as you can. Matthew, once that door opens, your tower will be located in the Celestial Dome, otherwise known as The Edge of Sector 5. Don't worry, I'll help guide you. Gary, your tower is locate North Northeast from you position while Mariah's tower is South Southwest from where she is. Jonah, you tower is East from your position. Natalie, yours is West from where you are. And Alexis, your tower is North Northwest from your position. Is everyone ready to begin?

All: Ready!

Jeremy: Ok everyone. Time to begin Code: Training. Ready…Set…GO!


	14. Lyoko Training

**_Chapter 14: Lyoko Training_**

**Lyoko-Sector 5**

The training had begun. The gang took off through the sectors in search for their designated towers. Jeremy was guiding Matthew through the labyrinth of Sector 5 since he didn't know the layout of it very well.

Jeremy: Ok Matthew, make a left at the next hallway on your right and go straight ahead for a bit.

Matthew: I hope you're pointing me the right way Mr. Belpois.

Jeremy: Don't worry, I am. Ok now take a left here and go straight ahead from there on, but be careful, you got yourself a little obstacle course ahead of you.

And he was right. After Matthew turned the corner, he came across a room that was mostly a parkour course. Matthew looked in front and saw the exit path on the other side of the room. He took a deep breath.

Matthew: Ok, let's see how I do parkour wise.

Gathering up some courage, he began maneuvering through the course. He jumped from platform to platform and nearly fell off a couple of times, but gathered himself back up and continued on. He was halfway across, when the entire room began to shake.

Matthew: Uhh…Mr. Belpois…what's happening.

Jeremy: Look behind you.

Matthew looked back and saw that the platforms were collapsing and were coming his way.

Matthew: Oh great just what I needed!

Matthew had no choice but to keep moving. He jumped across the other platforms as fast as he could trying to out run the falling platforms. He made it on the last platform and could see the exit just in front of him. He made one last giant leap of faith and tumbled onto the exit path just as the last platform collapsed. He gave a big sigh of relief.

Matthew: Phew…that was close. Was that part of the training program sir?

Jeremy: No it wasn't. Sector 5 will do that from time to time.

Matthew: I see now.

Jeremy: You better keep going. You're nearly there, just go straight through the path in front of you and you'll reach the elevator.

Matthew got back on his feet and ran off into the tunnel. After a few seconds, he reached the end of the tunnel.

Matthew: Ok so now what? Where is this elevator?

Jeremy: You'll hear it coming. Just get ready to jump at the right moment.

It wasn't long before Matthew could hear the screeching sound of the elevator beneath him. He looked down and saw it coming up to him at great speed.

Matthew: Ok here we go…

Just before the elevator raced past him, Matthew jumped over it and landed on the elevator's platform easily.

Jeremy: Good work so far Matthew. Now, the elevator will stop soon, and once it does a door will open in front of you. That's where your tower will be.

Matthew: Got it Mr. Belpois.

Matthew rode the elevator for a few more seconds until it came to a complete stop. Just as Jeremy said, a door opened in front of him and he took off through it. Soon he reached the Celestial Dome and saw the glowing green tower in front of him.

Matthew: Ok Mr. Belpois, I'm here.

Jeremy: Good, because here comes your monsters.

Matthew looked behind him and saw 5 Creepers slithering towards him. Like the tower, they were always giving off a green aura signifying that Jeremy was controlling them. He also heard the sound of Mantas flying towards him. And sure enough, he saw 2 Mantas, also glowing green, flying towards him.

Jeremy: Ok Matthew, you know the drill.

Matthew grinned as he readied his Warhammer.

Matthew: This is the part of training that I've been looking forward to.

* * *

**Lyoko-Ice Sector**

Meanwhile in the Ice Sector, Gary and Mariah went in their separate directions towards their towers. Gary went North Northeast towards his tower while Mariah went South Southwest.

Jeremy: Ok Gary keeping going straight ahead and you'll see an icy tunnel ahead. Slide down that tunnel and once you reach the bottom, keep going straight. You should then see a cavern behind a waterfall. Go into the cavern and your tower will be there.

Gary: Righty-ho sir!

Jeremy: As for you Mariah, keep going straight. After a while, you should see a narrow ice viaduct. Go across that and slide down the icy path at the end of it. From there, you'll have to navigate your way across icy water using the floating blocks of ice that are there. Once you cross that, go through the tunnel that's there and that's where your tower should be.

Mariah: I'm on it Mr. Belpois!

After about another minute of running through the frosty sector, Gary found the icy tunnel that Jeremy told him about.

Gary: I found the tunnel Mr. Belpois and I'm going in. BANZAI!

Gary leaped inside the tunnel and skated his way down the ice. He raced around each and every corner like he was snowboarding. He was having fun until a thought occurred to him

Gary: Uhh…Mr. Belpois…what's at the end of this tunnel?

Jeremy: Oh yeah that. Well let's just say you're about to get some air.

Gary was confused as the end of the tunnel came into view. He then realized what Jeremy had meant when he saw that it was a massive drop at the end.

Gary: I get the idea sir…GERONIMO!

Gary flew out of the tunnel and tumbled down to the icy ground below. He skidded to a stop a few seconds later and got back on his feet.

Gary: Now that was great ride!

Jeremy: Glad you enjoyed it, but you still have a tower to find. Keep going straight and you'll see the cavern.

So Gary continued on his way through the virtual tundra. Eventually, he came across the waterfall covered cavern. He went inside the cavern and saw his green glowing tower.

Gary: I made it Mr. Belpois. Now what?

Jeremy: Now you must destroy the monsters. Here they come.

Gary looked and saw 5 Bloks marching towards him also glowing green. Gary prepared himself for battle with his twin boomerangs in hand.

Gary: This is gonna be fun.

Further away in the Ice Sector, Mariah finally found the narrow ice viaduct that Jeremy had told her see would see. The viaduct stood high above The Digital Sea and was connected to the icy slide on the other side which Jeremy also told Mariah that she would find. Mariah sprinted her way across the long and narrow viaduct and soon reached the other side without a problem. She then slid down icy path. She was having trouble keeping herself balanced on it however as she occasionally fell when she tried standing straight up on it. Eventually, the path leveled out and Mariah got back on her feet once more.

Mariah: Where did you say I need to go after the slide down sir?

Jeremy: Keep going straight ahead until you see a small lake. You'll then have to make your way across it to reach the tunnel on the other side.

Mariah: Got it.

Mariah took off once again and after a couple minutes, arrived at the lake. She could see the tunnel on the other side of it as well as floating blocks of ice in the lake.

Mariah: Let's hope I don't slip on these…

Mariah skipped across each block of ice making sure to keep her balance on each one so that she wouldn't fall. Eventually she made her way across the lake and entered the tunnel. When she exited the tunnel, she found her green glowing tower waiting for her, just as Jeremy said.

Jeremy: Well done Mariah, you made it. Now get ready because here come your monsters.

Mariah could hear the faint sound of buzzing and knew exactly what her monsters were. She looked up and saw a small swarm of 7 Hornets flying above her, also glowing green. She took of her laser cannons from their holsters and aimed right at them.

Mariah: Let's do this.

* * *

**Lyoko-Desert Sector**

In the Desert Sector of Lyoko, Jonah was running through the dusty sector in search for his tower.

Jeremy: Ok Jonah, your tower isn't going to be that hard to find. Thanks to the Desert being open and flat, your tower will be 3 plateaus in front of you. It shouldn't be very hard to miss, so you should see it easily.

And he did to. After running through the Desert and jumping onto the other 3 plateaus, he saw his green glowing tower straight in front of him.

Jonah: Well that wasn't very hard to find. I made it Mr. Belpois. What's next.

Jeremy: The next thing you need to do is destroy your group of monsters. Speaking of which, here they are.

Jonah looked behind him and saw a group of 3 Megatanks rolling towards him, also giving off a green aura. Jonah readied his War axe.

Jonah: Here we go.

* * *

**Lyoko-Forest Sector**

Meanwhile in the Forest Sector, Natalie was running towards her activated tower.

Natalie: Where do I need to go Mr. Belpois?

Jeremy: Keep going straight ahead until you come across a gorge that has a fallen tree as a bridge.

So Natalie continued running along the narrow paths of the virtual forest. Soon enough, she could see the gorge with the fallen tree bridge in front of her.

Natalie: Ok Mr. Belpois, I'm at the gorge. Now what?

Jeremy: After you cross over the gorge, go straight ahead and take a left at the next fork in the path.

Natalie: Ok sir.

So Natalie crossed the tree bridge and the gorge and continued on her way. After about another minute of running, she saw the fork in the path that Jeremy had mentioned and took the left path as instructed. Soon afterwards, she saw her green tower standing in front of her.

Natalie: Ok Mr. Belpois, I'm here.

Jeremy: Well done Natalie. Here come your monsters.

Natalie looked behind her and saw a group of 4 Krabs coming towards her also glowing green. She took her twin katanas out of her sheaths and prepared herself for a good fight.

Natalie: Oh, I'm going to enjoy this.

* * *

**Lyoko-Mountain Sector**

Finally in the Mountain Sector, Alexis was making her way through the foggy and narrows paths of the virtual mountains looking for her tower.

Alexis: Where do I need to go from here Mr. Belpois?

Jeremy: Your tower will be a little tough to find, but don't worry, you'll find it. All you have to do is keep going straight for a bit, then take a right at the next divided path. From there, you'll find a small cave. Go through that and continue straight on the rest of the way and you'll see your tower.

Alexis: Ok sir.

Alexis continued running through the mountains until she saw the paths divide in front of her. She did what she was told and took the right path. She then continued going straight ahead and soon see saw the cave that Jeremy had mentioned. Going through the cave and coming out the other side, see saw that path was completely straight. At the end of the path she could see her green glowing tower.

Alexis: Ok I'm here.

Jeremy: Nicely done Alexis. Get ready because your monsters are here.

And they were. Alexis looked and saw 15 Kankrelats running towards her. She got her short sword and daggers out and ready.

Alexis: I've been looking forward to this.

She charged at the little monsters and using her short sword, she twirled it in a circle and destroyed 5 of the 15 Kankrelats in no time. She then threw all 6 of her daggers at 6 more of them, thus destroying them. But as she was gathering them back up, the last 4 Kankrelats began firing at her. They shot her in both of her legs, stomach, and left arm. Luckily for her, she still had 60 lifepoints left and after she gathered up all of her daggers, she used her short sword to stab at 2 of Kankrelats and threw 2 of her daggers at the last of them, destroying all of the monsters with ease.

In the Forest Sector, Natalie was battling the 4 Krabs. With her twin blades in hand, she slid underneath one of them and stabbed her swords through the Krab and destroyed it. While the other 3 Krabs began firing their lasers at her, she jumped up on top of another Krab and jabbed one of her swords into the Eye of XANA and destroyed it as well. But as she dropped back down to the ground, the 2 Krabs shot her in the chest area and her back. But Natalie stood her ground and retaliated at the Krabs. She blocked a few more shots from them and jumped on top of another Krab. After stabbing her swords in its eye, she jumped to the other Krab and stabbed her swords in its eye, destroying the final 2 Krabs.

In the Desert Sector, Jonah was dodging the powerful lasers of the Megatanks while looking for an opportunity to counterattack. He got his chance when he jumped behind one of the Megatanks. When the massive monster turned around and opened itself up, Jonah was already coming towards it. He struck his War Axe at XANA's eye and destroyed the first of the three. He turned his attention to the second Megatank that was behind him. It was just about to fire at him, but Jonah swung his axe at it and destroyed the second Megatank. Suddenly, the third Megatank fired its laser at him, but luckily he was able to dodge the blast. While the Megatank was charging its laser, Jonah took the opportunity to attack. He struck the eye of XANA with his axe, thus destroying all 3 of the mega monsters.

In the Ice Sector, Mariah was firing her laser cannons at the 7 Hornets that were buzzing around her. She was able to destroy 3 of the 7 without any problem, but soon the Hornets started to fight back. They fired their laser at her. She was able to dodge 3 of the 4 Hornets lasers, but ended up getting hit in her stomach area by the last one. Retaliating, she fired her laser at the Hornets and destroyed 2 more. The other 2 Hornets squirted acid at her which some hit her in her chest area. She was down to 40 lifepoints, but wasn't ready to back down yet. She charged at them one last time, and finally destroyed the final 2 Hornets.

Meanwhile, Gary was throwing her duel boomerangs at the group of 5 Bloks. He destroyed 2 of them, but then took 2 shots at the chest by their lasers. The third Blok then used its freezing ray to freeze Gary's right leg, pinning him to the ground. Gary struggled to free himself using his boomerang to break the ice, while the Bloks kept firing at him. Having enough, he threw his boomerangs at them again. One of them went through one of the Bloks completely and hit another, while the other boomerang struck the third Blok in the eye, destroying all 3 of them. When his boomerangs came back to him, he used them to finally unfreeze his leg and free himself.

Finally in Sector 5, Matthew was ducking and dodging the shots from the Creepers and Mantas. He slid past the Creepers and jumped up from behind them and struck one of the Creepers in the eye, destroying it. He then spun his Warhammer around and knocked down 2 more, destroying them as well. He then saw the last 2 Creepers on both sides of him, charging up their lasers. Matthew smirked as the Creepers fired. With quick thinking, he ducked down and the lasers hit the 2 Creepers destroying them. He then turned his attention to the 2 Mantas. Focusing his energy on his hammer, he pointed it at the Mantas and used his Lightning ability to destroy both Mantas at the same time.

The young warriors have completed their training with flying colors and Jeremy was impressed.

Jeremy: Well done everyone! You all found your towers in good time and destroyed your monsters in good time as well. I'm very impressed with you performances here today.

The gang felt pleased with their accomplishments.

Jeremy: Ok everyone, time to bring you all back.

But before he could begin to materialize the gang, the computer began to pick up some activity, leaving Jeremy confused.

Jeremy: Huh what's this?

He looked at the screen and saw some monsters coming towards the gang.

Jeremy: What is that?!

In Sector 5, Matthew was waiting to be materialized when he heard a loud mechanical roar from behind him.

Matthew: What was that sound?

Matthew wasn't the only one who heard the noise. In all the other sectors, the rest of the young warriors heard the sound to. They were confused and nervous as to what it was and where it came from. Matthew was the first to find out. He looked behind him and gasped at what he saw. Coming towards him was what looked to be a mechanical tiger monster. It was dark orange and had black strips like a real tiger and had massive claws at the edge of its paws. It roared at Matthew and he could see a glowing orb inside of the tiger's mouth. On the orb was the eye of XANA.

Matthew: Mr. Belpois, I think XANA sent me a new monster to deal with.

Gary: I see it to and it doesn't look friendly.

Mariah: One of them is with me to.

Natalie: Me too.

Jonah: And me.

Alexis: As well as me. Any ideas sir?

Jeremy: Try your best to try and beat them.

And so they did. Matthew took out his Warhammer and used his lighting ability at it. But the tiger was quick to react and dodged his attack. The tiger then charged at Matthew and used its claws to slice at Matthew and devirtualized him in one shot. Gary and Mariah tried their best to defeat the tigers, but they got devirtualized to, as well as Natalie, Jonah, and Alexis. Jeremy sat at his computer dumbfounded.

Jeremy: What the heck just happened?!


	15. Questions & Answers

**_Chapter 15: Questions &amp; Answers_**

**Abandoned Factory-Scanner Room**

Matthew was the first to step out of the scanners after being devirtualized by XANA's new Tiger monsters. Just as he stepped out of the scanner, the other 2 scanner doors opened revealing Gary and Mariah, who also got devirtualized from the Ice Sector after trying to battle the Tigers. Seconds later, all 3 scanners opened up and out came Natalie, Jonah, and Alexis after their failed battles with the new monster. Matthew looked at his 5 friends.

Matthew: If I had to guess, you all were devirtualized after fighting XANA's new Tiger-like monster?

All: ...Yes.

Matthew: That's what I was afraid of.

Gary: Where the bloody heck did those things come from?!

Alexis: I only wish I knew.

Natalie: Let's go up to see Mr. Belpois. Maybe he can shed some light on this.

The 6 young warriors made their way to the old elevator and ascended to the Computer Room, hoping that Jeremy knew what was going on. However, when the elevator doors opened, they were disappointed to see Jeremy holding his head in his hands and looking absolutely baffled to say the least.

Jonah: Uhh...Mr. Belpois...are you alright?

Jeremy: *stunned* What...on Earth just happened back there?

Mariah: We don't really know. We were hoping that you knew.

Jeremy: I think I do know. I think XANA knows that we're after him. He knows that we're looking for his world. He doesn't want us finding his world and destroying his core, so he sent you all those new monsters.

Matthew: That makes sense.

Jeremy: Yes it does. But there's a downside. Those Tigers are probably just the beginning. XANA will probably create more new monsters and send them our way to keep his from finding his lair and destroying his core.

Gary: XANA's clever he is. I'll give him that.

Natalie: So, can you tell us a little bit about those Tigers sir? Is there any sort of way we can destroy them?

Jeremy turned his attention back to the computer screen and began doing an analysis on the new monsters, while the gang gathered around him.

Jeremy: According to my analysis, those Tigers are much more stronger and powerful than the Tarantulas and they appear to have at least 200 lifepoints, far more than the average monster on Lyoko. They attack mainly with their claws because that is what does the most damage, but they do fire laser like the other monsters, they just shoot them from their eyes but they rarely use them. As far as a method of destroying them ,I can't figure that out.

Matthew: I think I do.

The gang and Jeremy looked at Matthew confused.

Jeremy: You do? How?

Matthew: Before I got devirtualized by that thing, I saw it roar. I looked inside its mouth as it was roaring and saw a small orange glowing orb inside. It had XANA's eye on it.

Jeremy: That's probably where you need to hit it in order to defeat it. But it will be difficult.

Mariah: So what do we do now?

Jeremy: Well other than the last minute mishaps with the Tigers, you all did very well with your solo Lyoko missions, but your training doesn't end there. Your next mission is going to be the same thing, looking for the activated tower and destroying the monsters guarding it, only this time, you all will be divided into groups of 2. Then later on you all will work together as one group to find the tower and destroy the monsters as well as having you trained in the Digital Sea.

The gang gasped at the last idea.

Jonah: Are you sure about that? Because I remember you telling us that if we fall into the Digital Sea, we would be devirtualized for good!

Jeremy: Yes Jonah, I remember telling you all that, but there is a way. Aelita care to tell them?

The gang looked behind them and saw Aelita walking up towards them. While Jeremy was busy training the young warriors, Aelita was still trying to find out where XANA's world could be in the Digital Sea, but had no luck.

Aelita: When we were fighting XANA, we discovered that he had created Replicas of Lyoko and hid them in the Digital Sea. So during our spare time, Jeremy and I went to work to create a Virtual Submarine that will allow us to travel through The Web, otherwise known as the Digital Sea.

The gang gasped.

Alexis: A virtual sub? Awesome!

Aelita giggled a bit.

Aelita: Yes it was and it worked perfectly, we were able to create the submarine and travel through the Digital Sea without any problems. And after that, we were able to destroy the Replicas...just not XANA's core.

Matthew: What is it called?

Aelita: We called it "The Skidbladnir", or "The Skid" for short. We came up with the name after I found it in a book about Viking Gods and Myths in The Hermitage, my old home.

Aelita sighed sadly remembering the good old times that she had with her family in that old house. Jeremy saw this and he couldn't help but feel sad for his wife to. Then suddenly he snapped his fingers as an idea occurred to him.

Jeremy: Wait a minute...THAT'S IT!

Aelita and the gang looked at him confused.

Aelita: What's it Jeremy?

Jeremy: The Hermitage. Remember that book I found at that place that helped me figure out Code: Scipio?

Aelita: Yes...

Jeremy: And do you remember how many books there are inside that old building?

Aelita: Where are you going with this dear?

Jeremy: One of those books may contain information about XANA's Core! Your father created XANA after all, so he must have left some notes behind in one of those books.

Aelita thought for a minute, then grinned.

Aelita: That's actually a great idea. Maybe paying a visit to my old home may help us find XANA at last.

Jeremy: That's exactly my point. Ok, listen closely everyone, here's the plan.

He turned to Matthew and the gang.

Jeremy: Matthew, for now, you and your friends are going to have to wait until we re-calibrate the training program a bit. Just go about your normal school days like you should.

The gang nodded in agreement.

Jeremy: Aelita, tomorrow we'll go down to the Hermitage and see what we can find in those old books. We'll bring Ulrich, Odd, Yumi, and William also to help us.

Aelita: Got it.

Jeremy: Ok good. Now as for you 6, you all should get back to Kadic before someone starts wondering where you all are.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the bridge outside of the factory, Brandon was getting impatient. He had followed Aelita and the gang through the sewers and to the factory hoping that he could find out what Matthew and his friends where up to. He planned on waiting outside until they went back to the academy but know we was growing impatient.

Brandon: Ugh! That's it! If they're not gonna come out, I'll find out right now!

Brandon came out of his hiding place and walked in the factory and towards the elevator.

Back in the computer room, Matthew and the gang were about to leave, when Jeremy suddenly gasped.

Jeremy: What the...who is that?

The gang looked at what Jeremy was pointing at on the computer screen. He was pointing about one of the security camera screens that was looking at the elevator and saw someone walking towards it. The gang gasped as they realized who it was.

Matthew: Holy smokes, that's Brandon!

Jeremy: WHAT?!

Natalie: But...how did he know where we were?

Matthew: *angry* He must have followed us here to try and figure out what we're up to.

Jonah: Oh great! Now he's gonna find out everything about us.

But Jeremy had a plan.

Jeremy: *smirking* Leave him to me. I'll deal with him.

Jeremy got up from the computer chair and walked towards the elevator. He then went up to the top floor where Brandon was. On the top floor, Brandon was just about to push the down button on the elevator when it suddenly started to move. He stepped back slowly as the elevator came to a stop in front of him. The doors opened and there stood Jeremy with a pretend look of shock on his face.

Jeremy: Brandon?

Brandon: Mr. Belpois? What the heck are you doing here?!

Jeremy: I was just in here looking for parts for my miniature robot that I'm working on.

Brandon: Where are Matthew and group of friends?

Jeremy: What are you talking about young man?

Brandon: I swear I saw them walking in here following a pink-haired woman!

Jeremy: You must be mistaking, because they're not here. If they were, then I would have seen them. And that pink-haired woman you're talking about happens to be my wife!

Brandon went pale for a moment.

Brandon: But...but...I could have I saw them.

Jeremy: You better leave Brandon before I report you to the principal. I heard you got suspended already and I'm sure you don't want to be expelled now do you?

Brandon sighed admitting defeat and walked out of the factory grumbling dreadfully. Jeremy smirked and went back to "finding parts for his robot."

When he returned to the computer room, he found the gang and Aelita waiting for him anxiously.

Jeremy: Not to worry young ones, he's gone.

Matthew: Really? How did you do that?

Jeremy: Oh, I told him that I was looking for parts for my miniature robot that I'm working on and I told him that I didn't see you all walking in here.

Gary: Whew, that's a relief and a half.

Jonah: Thank you sir. You really saved out bacon this time.

Jeremy: Don't mention it. Now off to Kadic with you kids, Aelita and I still have some work to do.

The gang ascended to the top floor and left the factory and made their way back towards Kadic, while in the computer room, Jeremy and Aelita were using Aelita's laptop to video call Ulrich, Odd, Yumi, and William. A few seconds later, the old warriors answered the call.

Aelita: Hello everyone.

Ulrich: Well hello there princess.

Yumi: What's up guys? How did the training program go for our new warriors.

Jeremy: It went very well. They got to their towers in good time and destroyed their monsters with flying colors to.

Odd: Well so far so good.

Jeremy: Yes, but then XANA sent them a new monster.

William: Uh oh...what was it?

Aelita: It was a Tiger-like monster. It has at least 200 lifepoints and are far more powerful and stronger that the Tarantulas. Their main weapons are their claws but they do use their laser on rare occasions.

Ulrich: Any ideas on how to stop them if we ever come across them?

Jeremy: Matthew noticed that when the monsters roared, he saw a small orange glowing orb in its mouth with XANA's eye on it. That's where you'll have to hit in if you want to destroy it.

Ulrich: That's gonna be hard to do.

Yumi: But other than that, everything went well?

Aelita: Yes everything else went according to plan. Next, they're going to be in groups of 2 and do the same thing. And then afterwards, work together as one group as well as being trained in the Digital Sea.

Jeremy: Which brings me to the main reason why we called you all. Do you all remember that old book that I found in the Hermitage that helped me figure out Code: Scipio?

Odd: How could I forget? The first time we used that transporter, it felt like I was about to lose my lunch.

Jeremy: Yes well, it occurred to me that with the many books that are still there, maybe there could be some notes left over from Franz Hopper that could help us locate XANA's world and his core.

The warriors smiled widely.

William: That would make sense. Since Hopper created XANA, maybe he left some notes behind that could help us find him.

Aelita: That's exactly right William.

Jeremy: Which is why tomorrow, you all are going to help us search the Hermitage to see if we can find any info on XANA's world.

Yumi: Count us in!

Ulrich: Yeah, anything that can help us destroy XANA will be good.

Jeremy: Ok, meet us at the Hermitage around 10 AM tomorrow morning.

Odd: Don't worry Einstein, we'll be there.

Jeremy: Great.

Aelita: See you tomorrow my friends. Goodnight!

All: Goodnight!

Jeremy and Aelita ended the video call and shut down Aelita's laptop. Tomorrow would be a big day if they were able to find anything about XANA's world.


	16. Finding XANA Part 1: The Hermitage

**_Chapter 16: Finding XANA Part 1: The Hermitage_**

**Saturday 9:55 AM-The Hermitage**

The next day was Saturday for the old warriors, which meant that everyone would be available in helping search the old, rundown house that was The Hermitage for clues of any kind regarding XANA's world. It was nearly 10 AM. Jeremy and Aelita had already arrived at the old estate about 5 minutes earlier and were now waiting for the rest of the crew to show up.

Jeremy: Aelita, remember if you ever have any memory flashbacks about this place, please tell us. It could help us out extremely.

Aelita: Don't worry Jeremy, I will.

Soon it was 10 AM on the dot and from out of the woods came Ulrich, Odd, Yumi, and William. Jeremy looked at his watch.

Jeremy: Great timing guys. Right on schedule.

Odd: Hey, we said we'll be here and we are.

Jeremy: Yes Odd, you are. Now come on everyone. Let's get searching.

The old warriors walked up the overgrown path and into the abandoned house. They gasped as they saw the inside. When they were last in the house, it was covered in dust and was falling apart all over the place. Now the house was in total disrepair with wooden beams about to fall from the ceiling, holes in the roof and the floor, stains all over the wall, and just more dust adding up over the past 20 years.

Yumi: Wow...20 years of not being in here and this is what it looks like.

Ulrich: Not surprising. The house was old and falling apart when we first discovered back before Aelita knew about her human past.

Aelita: Can we please not bring that up? It's not something I would like to remember.

Ulrich: Sorry Aelita. Let's just find what we need and get out of here.

The gang made their way into the old piano room where the grand piano stood rotting away in the corner and the old bookshelves surprisingly still standing.

William: Kind of surprised that these bookshelves are still standing after all this time.

Jeremy: Well no matter, everyone grab a book and start searching through them. There's hundreds of books on these shelves. There has to be at least one that has some kind of clue as to where XANA can be.

The warriors each grab at least 5 books and began looking through each and everyone one. They checked each sentence right down to the punctuation marks to see if any of them had any information about XANA at all. They checked each page thoroughly to make sure that they didn't miss anything. They even checked the front and back covers for any secret pockets on them. However, they didn't find anything. They set the first set of book aside and went back to the self to grab another handful.

* * *

**Lyoko- Mountain Sector**

While the gang was searching through The Hermitage, XANA was on the attack once again. He knew that they were after him and he was going to do anything to keep them from finding his world. He activated one of the towers in the Mountain Sector and in the computer room of the factory, his black specter oozed its way out of the wires and out of the factory. It then split itself in two. One of the divided specters flew towards The Hermitage, while the other headed for Kadic.

* * *

**Kadic Academy-Cafeteria**

It was now lunchtime for the young Lyoko Warriors. The gang was discussing what they could do together during the weekend since they had finished all of they're homework for next week.

Jonah: How about we go see a movie?

Mariah: We've already seen 3 movies together already within the first 2 and a half months of school. Let's do something else. Anyone got any ideas?

Gary: How 'bout we go paintballin'?

Alexis: Oooh, now that sounds fun!

Natalie: I don't know. I've paintballed before and it didn't end very well...

Gary: What happened?

Natalie: I don't wanna talk about it.

The gang continued to discuss ideas about what they could do. Matthew didn't speak throughout the whole discussion as he was too busy eating his lunch. His appetite was a lot like Odd's only not as big.

Gary: Come on Nat, you can tell us.

Natalie: I said I don't wanna...

Suddenly, the lights in the cafeteria started to spark up and go haywire. Small electrical explosions echoed through the large room. Sparks fell from the lights and landed on some of the students. They were all frightened and took cover.

Natalie: What's going on?!

Then, the gang heard the familiar alarm sound coming from Matthew's laptop. Matthew took out his laptop and opened it up to see the familiar looking eye appear on the screen.

Matthew: Take a wild guess guys.

All: XANA!

Matthew: You got it. He must have messed with the electricity again. Come on, we gotta get to the factory and fast. I'll warn Mr. Belpois. Good thing he gave me his cell phone number for just such emergencies.

The gang headed for the door, but when Mariah placed her hand on the door handle, giants bolts of electricity shot of and consumed her body. She fell to the floor unconscious from the shock.

Gary: MARAIH!

The gang lifted her off the ground and moved her away from the door. The other students saw what happened and were now terrified. Suddenly, massive bolts of electricity surrounded the cafeteria building like a force-field preventing anyone from getting in and anyone getting out. Matthew quickly got out his cell phone and dialed Jeremy's number.

* * *

**The Hermitage-A few minutes before attack**

Meanwhile, the old warriors were still searching through the hundreds of books. The searched and searched for a good 2 hours but found absolutely nothing.

William: UGH! THIS IS POINTLESS! How are we gonna find anything about XANA at this rate?!

Ulrich: Calm down William! We still have a few more books to go through. Maybe one of them has something.

Yumi: Have you found anything in your stack of books Aelita?

Aeltia didn't answer. She had her head in her hands. She groaned as if she was having a headache.

Jeremy: Aelita, are you ok?

Aelita still didn't answer. Suddenly, flashbacks from her childhood raced through her brain.

* * *

**_Aelita's Flasback_**

_It was another beautiful day at The Hermitage. 12 year old Aelita was outside playing while her father, Franz Hopper, was inside writing down some notes. It seemed that the notes had something to do with a sort of computer program that he was working on. After he finished writing down the notes, he folded them up and placed them in a book with a black leather cover with red side-trimmings. He picked up the book and walked over to a painting. It was a family portrait of him, his wife, and little Aelita all smiling together. Franz smiled at the old photo. He then turned around to make sure no one was looking. Then, he moved the painting to the side which revealed a small steel safe. He dialed the safe's combination and opened it up. He was just about to place the book inside it when..._

_Aelita:__ What are you doing daddy?_

_Franz jumped and turned around to see Aelita had come back in the house after she finished playing outside. She looked at him confused as to what he was doing, but Franz kept a straight face._

_Franz:__ Oh just putting some of our money in the safe here darling._

_Aelita:__ But, why is it behind our family painting?_

_Franz:__ It's to keep our money protected. If bad people found this, they would run off with it all. But if we hide it, they won't be able to find it. So that's why I hide it behind our picture._

_Aelita:__ Ooooooh I get it. _

_Aelita smiled sweetly at her loving father who smiled back and gave her a hug._

_Franz:__ Are you hungry sweetheart? I'm about to start dinner._

_Aelita:__ Yes please daddy. My tummy has been grumbling a lot._

_Franz chuckled._

_Franz:__ Give me about 10 minutes and dinner will be ready, okay?_

_Aelita:__ Ok daddy! I'll be in my room while it's cooking._

_Aelita walked away and up to her room while Franz went to the kitchen to prepare dinner for him and his little girl._

* * *

Aelita suddenly came back to reality. She turned around to see her friends staring at her obviously concerned.

Jeremy: Are you ok dear?

Aelita: I...I just...I just had a flashback.

The warrior's eyes went wide.

Odd: Well what was it?

Aelita: It...it was...

*CRASH*

Before Aelita could tell them what she saw, a loud crash came from out in the hallway.

Ulrich: What was that?!

The warriors went into the hallway and saw a fresh pile of old wooden beams laying on the floor. They looked up and saw that the beams had fallen from the ceiling leaving a massive hole behind.

Odd: Whew! Heh for a second there, I thought it was...

Yumi: LOOK OUT!

The warriors looked behind them and saw a massive dresser coming straight towards them. The old warriors stood where they were frozen in fear, when suddenly, Yumi shoved them all out of the way just before the dresser hit them. But Yumi didn't move out of the way in time. The dresser slammed into her causing her to fly backwards and slam against the wall, knocking her out instantly.

Ulrich: YUMI NO!

Ulrich ran over to his girlfriend to see if she was alright. Yumi was bruised and battering but alive. Suddenly, more furniture began to float and move. It aimed itself at the warriors, but luckily they missed them by inches. Jeremy was trying to put together what was happening when his cell phone rang. He looked at it and saw it was Matthew.

Jeremy: Hello?

Matthew: Mr. Belpois! It's Matthew! Listen, XANA is attacking the school. He's made an electric force-field around the lunchroom and now we're trapped. Mariah's been severely electrocuted and we have no way of getting to the factory. And what's worse, before long the electricity will soon get inside the lunchroom.

Matthew looked up at the ceiling to see massive bolts of electricity shoot out of the light and nearly hitting him and the other students.

Jeremy: We're at The Hermitage looking for information on XANA, but then he attacked us with the old furniture. Yumi got hit hard by a flying dresser and now more furniture is coming at us.

Matthew: There's nothing we can do here. We're all trapped.

Jeremy: Don't worry Matthew, leave it to us. We'll get to Lyoko one way or another.

He hung his phoned and turned to his friends.

Jeremy: Matthew and his friends are under attack. XANA has created an electric force-field around the lunchroom keeping them from getting to the factory. Mariah's been electrocuted from placing her hand on the door trying to get out.

Odd: No kidding. The same thing happened to me and Ulrich one time when XANA attacked back then. I got electrocuted from the door to!

Jeremy: Either way, we have to get to the factory and fast.

William: Yeah but how?

Ulrich: INCOMING!

The warriors looked to see another piece of furniture fly towards them. They moved out of the way just in time just as the furniture hit the old door and smashed it to pieces.

Jeremy: Like that. Ok Ulrich, you and Odd get Yumi and yourselves out of here if you can. Aelita and William, come with me to the factory.

Aelita: I know the secret passage that leads to the factory. It's this way.

Aelita lead Jeremy and William to the secret passage outside of the house while Ulrich and Odd tried to haul Yumi out. Aleita, William and Jeremy went down the secret passage and a few minutes later arrived at the factory. The swung down the ropes and entered the elevator and made their descent to the lab. Jeremy ran towards the computer while Aelita and William arrived at the scanners.

Jeremy: Ok you 2. I found the activated tower. It's in the Mountain Sector. Get ready.

Aelita and William stepped into the scanners.

Jeremy: Transfer William. Transfer Aelita. Scanner William. Scanner Aelita. Virtualization!

* * *

**Lyoko-Mountain Sector**

Aelita and William were soon virtualized in the Mountain Sector.

Jeremy: The tower is South Southeast from where you are. Here comes The OverWing for you princess.

Jeremy virtualized the OverWing in front of Aelita and she stepped on.

Aelita: Come on William. Let's stop XANA again.

William: I'm with you on that. SUPER SMOKE!

William and Aelita took off in the direction of the activated tower.

Meanwhile, Odd and Ulrich made their way down to the basement to try and escape the flying furniture. They closed the door behind them and barricaded it as much as they could. They then laid Yumi down between them and took a rest. But then, they heard the banging noise of the furniture trying to break down the barricade.

Odd: I hope Aelita deactivates that tower soon.

Ulrich: Me too old pal. Me too

Over at Kadic, Matthew and the other students were trying to take cover from the zapping bolts of electricity. The plan wasn't working though as few bolts zapped a few students.

Matthew: _(to himself) Come on Mrs. Belpois hurry up. We can't hold out much longer._

Back at Lyoko, Aelita could see the tower straight ahead.

Aelita: We found it Jeremy!

Jeremy: That's good Aelita, but XANA has found you too! 7 Hornets behind you.

Aelita looked back and indeed saw 7 Hornets buzzing towards her. The Hornets fired their lasers at her. They missed hitting Aelita, but they did managed to devirtualized The OverWing. Aelita tumbled to the ground and skidded to a stop, losing 10 lifepoints from her fall. William appeared out of his smoke behind her with his giant butcher-blade in hand.

William: Head for the tower! I'll handle them.

Aelita sprinted her way towards the tower while William jumped up high in the air and swung his blade at the Hornets. He sliced the first 2 of them in half, destroying them. He then used his Super Smoke to sneak up behind the third and fourth ones. When he reappeared, he swiped his blade against the Hornets and destroyed them as well. But as he came back down, the last 3 Hornets opened fire at him. He took several shot, 2 in his chest, 3 in his stomach and one in his left leg. He was now down to 40 lifepoints. Meanwhile Aelita was now getting ready to enter the tower when suddenly, she heard a loud mechanical roar.

Aelita: Oh no not them!

It was them. She turned around and saw XANA's new Tiger. It growled fiercely at her. Aelita was scarred. She had never seen a monster that looked so powerful.

Jeremy: Be calm Aelita. Remember what Matthew said, just hit the orb in its mouth when you see your chance.

Aelita: Easier said than done.

Aelita summoned 2 Energy Fields in her hands and threw them at the Tiger. But the Tiger was quick to react and dodged both attacks. It then charged at Aelita and swiped it massive claws at her. But Aelita was able to summon her Angelic Wings in time to miss the Tiger's attack. She threw a few more Energy Fields at the beast. Some of which hit it's skin, but did no damage. The Tiger started to get frustrated. Then Aelita had a plan.

Aelita: _(to himself) If I can get it angry enough, it might then roar and give me a chance to destroy it._

Aelita smirked to herself and fired more and more Energy Fields at it. Just like she had hoped, the Tiger was getting frustrated. It gave a mighty roar and Aelita saw the glowing orb in its mouth. Using the opportunity, she summoned a massive Energy Field and fired it straight at the Tiger's mouth. It hit it dead center of the orb and with a clank and a groan, the Tiger fell on its side and exploded. Aelita smiled.

Aelita: Jeremy, I did it! I destroyed the Tiger!

Jeremy: Well done Aelita!

William: Very well done.

Aelita looked behind her and saw William looking up at her after he had finished destroying the rest of the Hornets.

William: Maybe now XANA will think twice before sending you another Tiger.

Aelita giggled and floated back down to the ground. Her wings disappeared as she walked in the tower. She centered herself in the platform and floated up to the top. In the Hermitage, the barricade was about to give way. Odd and Ulrich cowarded against the wall with Yumi still knocked out between them. At Kadic, the electricity was now at its worse, it was about to consume the entire cafeteria. Matthew, his friends, and the other students screamed in horror. Aelita placed her hand on the interface and enter Code: Lyoko.

Aelita: Tower deactivated.

The banging at the Hermitage came to a sudden stop. Ulrich and Odd looked at each other and gave a huge sigh of relief. At Kadic, the electricity suddenly died down until there was nothing but silence. Matthew took a deep breath in relief. Jeremy pressed ENTER and a white light emitted from the HoloMap.

Jeremy: Return to the past now!

The light consumed everything and fade away after a few moments.

* * *

**The Hermitage-12:00 PM**

Matthew: It's ok Mr. Belpois, everything is back to normal. Mariah's awake and better than ever.

Jeremy: That's good Mattthew. Everything's the way is was here to. Yumi's alright after her collision with the possessed dresser.

Matthew: That's great. Well see you later sir.

Jeremy: Take care.

Jeremy hung up the phone and looked at his friends.

Jeremy: Well, that's another one of XANA's plans foiled again.

Yumi: That's good because I really don't want to go through getting hit by a dresser again.

The warriors chuckled.

Odd: So Aelita, what was it that you remembered from your flashback?

Aelita got up from her seat and made her way over to where the old family painting was. The warriors followed her as she slowly moved the painting out of the way revealing the safe.

Ulrich: Do you know the safe's combination?

Aelita: Yes. I saw my dad enter the combination before.

She twisted the knob to the right, to the left, and back to the right and opened the safe. Inside, stood the very black leather with red side-trimming book that Franz Hopper put in. She took it out of the safe and flipped through the pages. She stopped suddenly when a folded piece of paper fell out from between the pages. She picked in up and unfolded it. She quickly glanced at what was on it and gasped.

William: Well...what is it?

Aelita: It's a set of coordinates...to XANA's world.


	17. Finding XANA Part 2: The Coordinates

_Previously on Code Lyoko: New Youth_

_Jeremy: Aelita, remember if you ever have any memory flashbacks about this place, please tell us. It could help us out extremely._

_Aelita: Don't worry Jeremy, I will._

_00000000_

_Natalie: What's going on?!_

_Matthew: Take a wild guess guys._

_All: XANA!_

_Matthew: You got it. He must have messed with the electricity again. Come on, we gotta get to the factory and fast. I'll warn Mr. Belpois. Good thing he gave me his cell phone number for just such emergencies._

_00000000_

_Aelita:__ What are you doing daddy?_

_Franz:__ Oh just putting some of our money in the safe here darling._

_Aelita:__ But, why is it behind our family painting?_

_Franz:__ It's to keep our money protected. If bad people found this, they would run off with it all. But if we hide it, they won't be able to find it. So that's why I hide it behind our picture._

_Aelita:__ Ooooooh I get it._

_00000000_

_Matthew: Mr. Belpois! It's Matthew! Listen, XANA is attacking the school. He's made an electric force-field around the lunchroom and now we're trapped. _

_Jeremy: We're at The Hermitage looking for information on XANA, but then he attacked us with the old furniture._

_Matthew: There's nothing we can do here. We're all trapped._

_Jeremy: Don't worry Matthew, leave it to us. We'll get to Lyoko one way or another._

_00000000_

_Aelita: Jeremy, I did it! I destroyed the Tiger!_

_Jeremy: Well done Aelita!_

_William: Very well done. __Maybe now XANA will think twice before sending you another Tiger._

_00000000  
_

_Jeremy: Return to the past now!_

_Matthew: It's ok Mr. Belpois, everything is back to normal. _

_Jeremy: That's good Mattthew. Everything's the way is was here to. _

_Matthew: That's great. Well see you later sir._

_00000000_

_Ulrich: Do you know the safe's combination?_

_Aelita: Yes. I saw my dad enter the combination before._

_William: Well...what's in it?_

_Aelita: It's a set of coordinates...to XANA's world._

* * *

_**Chapter 17: Finding XANA Part 2: The Coordinates**_

Ulrich: Hold on...a set of coordinates to XANA?!

Aelita: That's right Ulrich. Here take a look for yourself.

Aelita handed Ulrich the sheet of paper and the rest of the crew gathered around him. He studied the paper carefully just to be sure that Aelita wasn't bluffing. Indeed she wasn't.

Jeremy: You're right Aelita. It is a set of coordinates. Coordinates that will lead us to XANA! Can you believe it?

Odd: I'm kind of finding it a little hard to believe.

Yumi: Me to. Why would he keep these coordinates hidden away in a safe? He wanted XANA to destroy Project Carthage remember?

Jeremy: Yes I remember that. And you're right Yumi. It is a little hard to believe that Franz Hopper would keep these notes. The question is why.

Aelita: Because he is the only one who knows how to destroy XANA. After the plan to destroy Project Carthage failed, my father was about to destroy XANA also. But then the men in black came and ran us out of our home. My father then virtualized us both on Lyoko so that we would be safe. The rest as they say is history.

Jeremy: That's how he knows about XANA's core in the encrypted message. Since he's the one who created him, he's also the one who knows how to destroy him.

Aelita: Exactly my point. Which is why we need to find XANA's world in The Digital Sea using these coordinates. But we better do it fast, because XANA may soon find out about us coming to his world.

William: I agree with Aelita. Let's get to Lyoko and get going.

Jeremy: Come everyone, to the factory!

The warriors ran out of the house and used the secret passage outside the house to quickly get to the factory. When they arrived, Jeremy sat at the computer and began putting in the coordinates of XANA's world. His friends gathered around him and watched him quickly type away at the keyboard. In no time at all, Jeremy had connected to the HoloWeb System.

Jeremy: HoloWeb System connected. Now let's put in those coordinates.

He quickly typed in the coordinates and the began the HoloWeb scan. However, the scan took a little longer than usual. It had been going on for a good 3 minutes and still found nothing.

Odd: Uhh...shouldn't the scan have picked up something by now?

Jeremy: Yes it should have, but this time it hasn't.

Odd: Well how come?

Aelita: Because XANA hid his world extremely well somewhere in the Digital Sea. It may take a while before the scan picks up anything.

Jeremy: Well while the scan is doing its work, lets leave and come back tomorrow to check on it to see if it found anything.

Yumi: Good plan.

The warriors left the computer running to allow the scan to do its business while they went back into the elevator and left the factory for home.

* * *

**The Next Day-12:30 PM**

It has now been a full 24 hours since the warriors left the scan to search through the Digital Sea. The warriors arrived back at the computer room to check on the progress of the scan. When Jeremy sat in his chair, he noticed something on the screen and grinned widely.

Jeremy: Guys, I think the scan found it!

The warriors ran over to Jeremy and gazed at the screen. What they saw on the screen was a large replica-type world sitting beneath the Digital Sea. Jeremy began doing an analysis on the world.

William: How do you it's what we're looking for?

Jeremy: This analysis will soon tell us. Just give it 2 minutes.

Jeremy began the analysis on the world while the rest of the warriors waited anxiously for the results. After what seemed like forever, the analysis what complete. Jeremy looked over what the analysis showed and gasped.

Jeremy: Guys, get to the scanner room and get ready.

The warriors looked at him confused.

Ulrich: Why is that Jeremy? What are we doing?

Jeremy: You guys are going to take a trip into the Digital Sea because we have finally found XANA's world.

The warriors gasped in shock and quickly went over to the computer screen to see for themselves. Jeremy showed them the analysis.

Jeremy: The analysis has confirmed that it is indeed XANA's world. And as Franz Hopper said, it is a replica-type world, which means that it has a security code at the entrance. All you need to do is get the Skid there and give me time to crack the code. Once I do that, bing-bang-boom we're in!

The warriors all looked at each other grinning.

Yumi: I can't believe it.

Ulrich: We've found XANA's world.

Aelita: And now that we know where he is, we'll be able to get there in no time.

Jeremy: Precisely Aelita. Now get ready guys, I'm starting up the virtualization process.

The warriors descended down the elevator and arrived at the scanner room while Jeremy readied the virtualization process to Sector 5.

Jeremy: Ladies first. Transfer Yumi. Transfer Aelita. Scanner Yumi. Scanner Aelita. Virtualiztion.

As soon as the girls were virtualized, the guys took their place and stepped into the scanners.

Jeremy: Transfer William. Transfer Odd. Transfer Ulrich. Scanner William. Scanner Odd. Scanner Ulrich. Virtualization.

* * *

**Lyoko-Sector 5**

Yumi, Aelita, William, Odd, and Ulrich were soon all virtualized in the spinning dome of Sector 5.

Jeremy: Ok, you all know the drill. Get to the hanger and prepare for launch.

Aelita: Got it Jeremy.

It wasn't long before the wall opened up leading into Sector 5's labyrinth. Aelita lead the way with the rest of the warriors following behind her. They ran through Sector 5 until they reached the elevator leading towards the hanger. The jumped on the speeding elevator just before it zoomed past them. After a few more seconds, the elevator came screeching to a stop and a door opened on the other side of it. The warriors ran through the door and entered the hanger holding The Skidbladnir.

Aelita: Come on. Everyone stand on one of the teleport spots.

The warriors each stood on one of the 5 telesporting spots that allows them to enter the Skid. Aelita stood in the middle spot meaning that she was the one who would control the virtual sub, while the other 4 warriors stood on the spots around her.

Jeremy: Ok everyone. Energize!

Bright white lights surrounded the 5 warriors and disappeared when they faded away. A few seconds later, they reappeared inside The Skid for the first time in 20 years. Aelita was sitting in the main cockpit of the ship while Ulrich, Odd, Yumi, and William sat in the NavSkids.

Aelita: Can you all hear me ok?

All: Loud and clear!

Aelita: Ok then. Opening interface.

She pressed a few of the many buttons within the cockpit and 3 interfaces appeared around her.

Jeremy: Releasing supports.

Jeremy typed in a command on the computer and the supports holding The Skid stationary began to disengage. Aelita then did a final system check.

Aelita: Ignition on. Shields activated. Sonars activated. All systems go Jeremy!

Jeremy: Roger that Aelita. You are clear for liftoff.

Aelita: Roger. Ready everyone?

Yumi: Ready Aelita.

Ulrich: All set Aelita.

Odd: Ready when you are princess.

William: Ready for action Aelita.

Aelita: Roger that. LIFTOFF!

Slowly but surely, the massive virtual sub ascended out of the hanger and through Sector 5's North Pole.

Jeremy: The East Tunnel is now open Aelita.

Aelita: Roger that Jeremy.

Aelita piloted The Skid towards the now open tunnel. When the came out of the other side, they saw they were now floating high above the Desert Sector's Digital Sea.

Aelita: Prepare to dive in 3...2...1...DIVE!

The Skid plummeted out of the virtual sky and splashed into the Digital Sea. Aelita and the warriors were now ready to find XANA's world.

* * *

**Author's Note: Yes yes I know it's a short chapter, but trust me, there will be more soon. By the way, I just wanna give a quick thank you to all of you viewers. Thank you for showing you support throughout this whole story. Whether it's posting reviews, following or favoriting, or just simply reading and enjoying the story, thank you all. Keep the reviews coming and I'll see you all in the next chapter. FakeACU83 OUT!**


	18. Finding XANA Part 3: The Digital Sea

_Previously on Code Lyoko: New Youth_

_Ulrich: Hold on...a set of coordinates to XANA?!_

_Aelita: That's right Ulrich. Here take a look for yourself._

_Jeremy: You're right Aelita. It is a set of coordinates. Coordinates that will lead us to XANA! Can you believe it?_

_00000000_

_Jeremy: Guys, get to the scanner room and get ready._

_Ulrich: Why is that Jeremy? What are we doing?_

_Jeremy: You guys are going to take a trip into the Digital Sea because we have finally found XANA's world._

_00000000_

_Aelita: Come on. Everyone stand on one of the teleport spots._

_Jeremy: Ok everyone. Energize!_

_Aelita: Can you all hear me ok?_

_All: Loud and clear!_

_00000000_

_Aelita: Prepare to dive in 3...2...1...DIVE!_

* * *

_**Chapter 18: Finding XANA Part 3: The Digital Sea**_

**Lyoko-Digital Sea**

The entrance leading to Lyoko slowly creaked its way open and The Skid came out now floating in the Digital Sea.

Jeremy: Base to Skid, do you read me?

Aelita: Loud and clear Jeremy. It's ok we're in The Digital Sea. Even after 20 years, The Skid still works perfectly.

Jeremy: That's good Aelita. I'm sending you the coordinates of XANA's world.

A few seconds later, the central interface in front of Aelita showed the coordinates. Aelita typed in the coordinates into the interface to her right that showed a map of the Digital Sea. After a few seconds, the coordinates found the world.

Aelita: We have located XANA's world everyone, but it's quite far away from Lyoko.

Ulrich: I'm not surprised. XANA likes to keep his stuff hidden away from us.

Yumi: Either way, at least we know where his world is. I don't care how far away it is or how long it will take us to get there, let's just get going so we can stop him for good.

Aelita: Roger that Yumi. Rotation.

Aelita pulled a lever and The Skid rotated from its vertical position to now its horizontal position. Aelita then pushed the throttle handles forward and The Skid took off through The Digital Sea. Aelita was right, it was a long trip to XANA's world. They had been sailing for a good 30 minutes give or take and still had no sign of XANA's world in sight.

Odd: Boy, when Franz Hopper said that XANA hid his world very well in here, he wasn't kidding. This thing must be miles away from Lyoko for all we know.

William: How much longer do you think it will be before we see it Aelita?

Aelita: That is an answer I wish I had William. But for now, we just have to keep moving in the same direction as the coordinates tell us.

The Skid continued through The Digital Sea in search of XANA's world.

* * *

**Kadic Academy-Recreation Room**

Over at Kadic, Matthew and the gang were discussing plans on what they could do during their free time before school began tomorrow. Gary and Jonah were playing Foosball to pass the time, while Mariah, Alexis, and Natalie were looking through some fashion magazines. Matthew was there to, he was sitting on the couch watching a Formula 1 race on the TV.

Gary: I still suggest we go paintballing.

Natalie: And I still suggest we don't.

Gary: Find Nat, whatever you say.

Alexis: Please don't start arguing guys. It's not gonna help anything.

Mariah: Anyway, what other ideas does anyone have?

Jonah: Umm...I got nothing.

Natalie: Me either.

Alexis: Or me.

Mariah: What about you Matthew?

Matthew didn't answer.

Mariah: Uh...Matthew?

Still no answer. Mariah looked up from her magazine and saw Matthew not paying attention to what she was saying. He was too busy watching the race on TV. Mariah groaned as she was being ignored, while Natalie just giggled a bit.

Natalie: Hang on, I'll get his attention.

Natalie put down her magazine and walked over towards Matthew. She gently tapped her hand on his head in an attempt to get his attention.

Natalie: Hello...Earth to Matthew.

Matthew: Huh...what?

Natalie: Mariah was asking you something.

Matthew: Sorry Mariah, got a little occupied. So what was you asked?

Mariah: I asked you if you had any ideas on what we could do before school tomorrow?

Matthew thought for a moment.

Matthew: Hmm...oh I know! How about we all go go-karting?

Gary: Hey, that's not a bad idea!

Jonah: I could go for that.

Natalie, Alexis, Mariah: So could we!

Matthew: Then it's settled. Let me check the weather station just to be sure we don't get rained on.

Gary: Smart thinking mate.

Matthew changed the channel from the race to the weather station.

Meteorologist: Well it may be cool out there today, but it will also be sunny outside with no chance of rain in the future.

Jonah: That's good enough for me.

Matthew: Alright then, let's go!

Matthew and the gang left the rec room and walked towards the go-karting track.

* * *

**Lyoko-Digital Sea**

Aelita had been piloting The Skid towards XANA's world for now a good 45 minutes and still had no visual of it in sight. Now Aelita was starting to get impatient

Aelita: Alright, where is this blooming world?! Surely we've should have seen it by now!

Just as she said that, the sonar began to pick up an object. Aelita quickly looked at the sonar and indeed saw that they were approaching something. Looking out The Skid's window, she could she a large spherical object just ahead of her. She looked at the coordinates one more time and then looked at the map interface. She grinned widely.

Aelita: Guys, we're here!

All: What?!

Yumi: Are you sure?

Aelita: Look in front of you.

Ulrich, Odd, Yumi, and William all looked in front of them and they too saw the large object sitting in front of them.

Ulrich: That looks like a replica-type world to me.

Aelita: My point exactly Ulrich. We're here Jeremy, we've found XANA's world!

Jeremy couldn't believe what he had heard.

Jeremy: Excellent work Aelita.

Yumi: Yeah, but there's something not right about this.

William: What do you mean?

Yumi: We haven't seen a single on of XANA's monsters. Don't you find that weird?

Aelita: That must mean XANA wasn't expecting us. So we have the upper hand.

Jeremy: Aelita's right Yumi, so just take it easy.

Yumi: Well...if you say so.

Jeremy: Ok Aelita, position The Skid in front of The Network Access Gate and hook yourselves up so that I can crack it's security code.

Aelita: Roger that Jeremy. Rotation.

Aelita rotated The Skid back to its vertical position and slowly parked it in front of the access gate. A bright white light emitted from The Skid and came together with the gate's lock. On the computer screen, Jeremy began typing away at his keyboard trying to crack the security code. Normally, he was very good at this sort of thing and can usually open the gate within a minute or so. But this time, that wasn't the case. He had been typing in many codes within 15 minutes but still wasn't able to get the gate open.

Jeremy: Ugh...what is going on here?

Odd: Huh Einstein, I don't mean to be impatient but what's the hold up? I thought you were good at this.

Jeremy: I am Odd, it's just that XANA has really locked this gate up tight. I can't seem to crack the code.

Suddenly, the multiple screens on the computer began to flicker on and off and soon turned off completely.

Jeremy: Hey what happened? Aelita can you hear me?

Jeremy tried turning the computer back on but to no avail.

Aelita: So what do you want us to do now Jeremy?...Jeremy?...Jeremy are you there?

William: What happened?

Aelita: I'm not sure. We've lost contact with Jeremy. I hope nothing bad happened.

Ulrich: Knowing our luck, something bad has probably happened.

Although they didn't know it at first, Ulrich was right. In the lab, Jeremy kept trying and trying to turn on the computer again, but still was unsuccessful.

Jeremy: Come on...come on!

Suddenly, the computer began to spark up and shocked Jeremy. He fell out of his chair unconscious but okay...for now.

* * *

**Lyoko-Desert Sector**

Just as Jeremy hit the floor, XANA launched yet another attack and activated one of the towers in the Desert. His specter then crept out of the wires of the computer and exited the factory. But instead of heading towards Kadic like it usually would, it ascended into the clouds. The specter then changed the bright blue sunny sky into dark grey and gloomy clouds.

Over at the go-kart track, Matthew and the gang were just leaving after enjoying a good 3 hours of nonstop fun at the track.

Matthew: I told you I would beat you Gary!

Gary: Ahh, you just got lucky mate.

Matthew: Or maybe I just got skill. Future racing star right here!

Gary groaned in defeat while Matthew celebrated his victory. However, his victory was cut short as he notice the sky become dark grey.

Matthew: Uhh...wasn't the sky bright and sunny a few seconds ago?

Natalie: Yeah, it was...

Just then, a loud rumble of thunder echoed throughout the city followed by a bright flash of lighting. The wind began to speed up as well.

Jonah: I thought the weatherman said that there was no chance of rain in the future.

Matthew: He did say that. I don't know what's going on but we can't stay out here. Let's hurry back to Kadic!

Mariah: Are you sure? With this wind blowing, we'll be blown all the way to England!

Alexis: I think we should head back inside and wait the storm out.

So the gang quickly made their way back inside the indoor go-kart track hoping that the storm would pass by soon. Back at the factory, Jeremy was finally starting to come to. Groaning in pain, he got back to his feet and faced the computer. He was surprised to see the screens back on. He quickly sat in the chair and began trying to recontact Aelita.

Jeremy: Aelita, can you hear me?

Aelita: Jeremy, at last! What happened?

Jeremy: I lost contact with you because the screens shut off for no reason, then I got electrocuted by the computer. After that I don't know what happened.

Suddenly, the main screen on the computer began to sound a familiar alarm. Jeremy saw that XANA had activated a tower.

Jeremy: Oh no!

Aelita: What's wrong?

Jeremy: It's XANA. He must have cut off connection between us and shocked me, because he's just activated a tower on Lyoko!

All: WHAT?!

Ulrich: But we're miles away from Lyoko! We'll never get there in time to deactivate it!

Jeremy: You're going to have to try. Forget XANA's world for now! Get back to Lyoko! I'll try to figure out what XANA's up to.

Aelita released the key from the gate and rotated The Skid back to its horizontal position and raced away back to Lyoko. Meanwhile, Jeremy was trying to find out what XANA's attack could be. He then pulled up the news channel just in time to see the weatherman reporting.

Weatherman: This is a truly bizarre situation folks. Earlier today we told you that there was no chance of rain today, but that is not the case anymore. As you can see here, there is a massive storm is is basically covering the whole country of France. The most severe part of the storm seems to be based here in the city of Boulogne-Billancourt.

Jeremy gasped at what he heard.

Jeremy: Aelita keep going to Lyoko, I'll be right back!

Aelita: What? Where are you going Jeremy?

But Jeremy didn't answer. He quickly ascended to the top floor and ran outside of the factory. He looked up at the sky and saw that it was no longer bright and sunny but extremely dark and stormy. The rain pelted down like paintballs and thundered roared throughout the whole city. Jeremy suddenly realized something. He looked down at the river beneath and he could see it slowly starting to rise up. He finally pieced together XANA's plot.

Jeremy: _(to himself) Oh that's not good._


	19. Finding XANA Part 4: The Flood

_Previously on Code Lyoko: New Youth_

_Aelita: We have located XANA's world everyone, but it's quite far away from Lyoko._

_Ulrich: I'm not surprised. XANA likes to keep his stuff hidden away from us._

_Yumi: Either way, at least we know where his world is._

_00000000_

_Mariah: I asked you if you had any ideas on what we could do before school tomorrow?_

_Matthew: Hmm...oh I know! How about we all go go-karting?_

_Gary: Hey, that's not a bad idea!_

_Jonah: I could go for that._

_Natalie, Alexis, Mariah: So could we!_

_00000000_

_Aelita: Guys, we're here!_

_All: What?!_

_Yumi: Are you sure?_

_Aelita: Look in front of you._

_Ulrich: That looks like a replica-type world to me._

_00000000_

_Jeremy: Ugh...what is going on here?_

_Odd: Huh Einstein, I don't mean to be impatient but what's the hold up? I thought you were good at this._

_Jeremy: I am Odd, it's just that XANA has really locked this gate up tight. I can't seem to crack the code._

_00000000_

_Matthew: Uhh...wasn't the sky bright and sunny a few seconds ago?_

_Natalie: Yeah, it was..._

_Jonah: I thought the weatherman said that there was no chance of rain in the future._

_Matthew: He did say that. I don't know what's going on but we can't stay out here._

_00000000_

_Jeremy: Oh no!_

_Aelita: What's wrong?_

_Jeremy: It's XANA. He must have cut off connection between us and shocked me, because he's just activated a tower on Lyoko!_

_All: WHAT?!_

_Ulrich: But we're miles away from Lyoko! We'll never get there in time to deactivate it!_

_Jeremy: You're going to have to try. Forget XANA's world for now! Get back to Lyoko! I'll try to figure out what XANA's up to._

_00000000_

_Weatherman: This is a truly bizarre situation folks. Earlier today we told you that there was no chance of rain today, but that is not the case anymore. As you can see here, there is a massive storm is is basically covering the whole country of France. The most severe part of the storm seems to be based here in the city of Boulogne-Billancourt._

_Jeremy: (to himself) Oh that's not good._

* * *

_**Chapter 19: Finding XANA Part 4: The Flood**_

**Abandoned Factory-Computer Room**

Jeremy quickly made his way back down to the lab and raced his way into the chair facing the screen.

Jeremy: Aelita! Come in please!

Aelita: Jeremy, is everything alright?

Jeremy: No, everything's not alright. In fact, it's about to get a whole lot worse.

William: I don't like the sound of that.

Odd: What's going on Einstein?

Jeremy: It's XANA! He's about to flood the whole city!

The warriors were taken quite aback.

All: WHAT?!

Ulrich: But, it was just bright and sunny out about an hour ago.

Jeremy: It WAS bright and sunny out, but not anymore. After XANA shocked me, his specter ascended into the sky and created a massive storm that is covering all of France. And the worst of the storm is going hit us head on!

Yumi: ...Yep, that's bad.

Jeremy: And what's worse, the river outside the factory is beginning to rise. And once it gets high enough, it will start to flood the factory and short out the supercomputer. Meaning...bye bye Lyoko.

Aelita: And bye bye us.

Jeremy: Exactly...GET BACK TO LYOKO QUICK!

Aelita: Hang on tight guys. Maximum propulsion!

Aelita pushed down the throttle levers down to the max and The Skid shot off towards Lyoko.

Meanwhile over at the indoor go-kart track, Matthew and the gang were trying to wait out the storm. However, every minute that passed, the storm gradually became worse and worse. The other people inside the building were starting to get a little nervous, as well as the gang.

Natalie: I hope we're safe in here...

Matthew wrapped his arms around her to try and keep her calm. Natalie just clung to his shirt in fright. Suddenly, a massive roar of thunder boomed. It was so loud that it looked like it shook the building. The lights flickered on and off from the thunder. The gang huddled themselves together in fear.

Jonah: Man...things can't get much worse...

Jonah spoke too soon. Just then, Gary felt something wet under his feet. He looked down and his eyes went wide.

Gary: Uhh...guys...I think you might wanna look below you.

The gang looked down and gasped in horror. They could see water starting to seep in from the front door and into the track. They then looked out the window and saw that the whole street was beginning to flood and that the water was starting to get higher.

Jonah: I should have kept my big mouth shut.

Mariah: Ya think?!

All: HEEEEEELLLLLLLLP!

Back in The Digital Sea, Aelita was now halfway back to Lyoko.

Jeremy: You're doing good everyone. You're nearly there.

Just then, Jeremy received a phone call from Matthew.

Jeremy: Matthew, is everything alright?

Matthew: Not really sir. The gang and I are at the indoor go-kart track and we're getting pounded by a massive storm. And what's worse, the streets outside are starting to floor and the water is slowly making its way inside the building.

Jeremy: And I know why. It's XANA. He's attacking again.

Matthew: WHAT?!

Jeremy: He electrocuted me while I was at the computer and knocked me out. He then left the supercomputer and his specter went into the sky. He made the storm and now its covering all of France. And it's hitting the city worst of all.

Matthew: Well that would explain everything. Please hurry, the water is now up to our thighs.

Jeremy: Just hang in there you all. We'll do our best.

He hung up the phone and reconnected with Aelita.

Jeremy: Bad news everyone. I just got off the phone with Matthew. He and his friends are in trouble. They're at the go-kart track and their trapped inside the building with the water starting to flood inside, already up to their thighs.

Yumi: We better hurry before they drown.

Jeremy: My thought's exactly.

William: Can't you go any faster Aelita?

Aelita: I wish I could, but I can't. The Skid is at maximum power and it can't go any faster than what it can now.

Suddenly, The Skid's sonar began to pick up objects coming towards it and the blue Digital Sea turned to bloody red. Aelita looked at the sonar and saw that there were at least 10 objects of some kind heading straight towards them. She looked back out the window and saw what was coming. It was XANA's Digital Sea monsters. There we 5 Kongres, 4 Sharks, and 1 Kalamar. The rest of the warriors saw them coming to.

Yumi: Looks like we got trouble Jeremy.

Odd: Looks like XANA is serving us up a fishy buffet. And for once, I'm not that hungry for fish today.

Jeremy: Well then, get to destroying them. Aelita, keep piloting The Skid towards Lyoko while Ulrich, Odd, Yumi, and William handle the monsters.

Aelita: Got it Jeremy. NavSkids away!

Aelita pulled the 4 levers and the 4 NavSkids disconnected from the main ship.

Ulrich: Ok, Yumi and I will handle the Kongres and Odd and William will handle the Kalamar and the Sharks.

All: Got it!

Ulrich: CHARGE!

The 4 warriors raced towards the monsters at great speed. Ulrich and Yumi first went for the 5 Kongres. They raced right past them which in turn caused the 5 mutated fish to break off from the group of monsters and swim after them.

Ulrich: Alright Yumi, let's split up. They'll be forced to split off into groups making it easier for us to attack.

Yumi: Good plan. Let's go!

Yumi and Ulrich went in 2 separate directions and just as they hoped, the Kongres split off after them. 3 of them followed Ulrich while the other 2 went after Yumi.

Ulrich: Okay fish face, come and get the bait.

The Kongres began firing their lasers out of their eyes at Ulrich, but Ulrich was quick to react and was able to dodge the laser. Ulrich kept dodging laser after laser, then he had a plan. He was going to try and outsmart them. Thinking quickly, he pressed a button to the right of him and his NavSkid got a little turbo boost. Using the boost, he was able to get a little further ahead of the Kongres. Once he was far enough ahead, he then quickly turned to his right and piloted his NavSkid back towards them. He used his surroundings to his advantage to help him hide so that they wouldn't see him coming, and it worked. The Kongres were still trying to chase after Ulrich, unaware that he was now right behind them.

Ulrich: Ha ha, I got ya now.

Ulrich locked onto his 3 fishy targets and fired 3 quick torpedoes at them. The Kongres didn't see them coming at all, as the 3 torpedoes hit each of them, destroying them completely.

Ulrich: Yumi, I got rid of them on my end. How you holding up over there?

Yumi: *over radio* I still got them right on me. They're persistent, I'll give them that. Be with you in one second.

Yumi had her 2 Kongres right behind her and closing fast. They began firing their lasers at her and Yumi noticed. She quickly dodged the attacks and tried to think of a way to get rid of them. She couldn't think of one, so she decided to take them head on. She used her turbo boost to get ahead a little bit and quickly turned around and came straight back at them. She locked onto one of the Kongres and fired her torpedoes at it, destroying the first one. The second one swam right past her giving Yumi the opportunity to come at it head on again. After turning around, she saw the Kongre coming at her. She fired her torpedoes yet again and successfully destroyed the last of the Kongres.

Yumi: It's ok Ulrich, they're destroyed.

Ulrich: Good work Yumi. I wonder how Odd and William are holding up?

Odd and William were being chased down by the 4 Sharks.

Odd: Someone cue the "Jaws" Theme Song!

William: Very funny Odd, but now's not the time. We gotta get rid of them and quick.

Odd: Ok, let's go at the head on and take out 2 at a time, one for each of us.

William: Good plan, let's do it!

Odd and William used their turbo boosts to get ahead of the Sharks and quickly turned back around towards them. They both locked on to one Shark for both of them and fired their torpedoes. They were able to destroy the first 2 and shoot past the other 2 to get one last chance to destroying them. Turning around once again, they locked onto the last 2 Sharks and fired. They hit the Sharks directly and destroyed them.

Odd: Woo hoo! Nice on William! We did it!

William: Yeah we sure did!

Odd: Ulrich, it's Odd. We got rid of the Sharks and everything is in the clear.

Ulrich: That's great Odd...but what about the Kalamar?

Odd went pale for a moment.

Odd: Uhh...the what?

Ulrich: The Kalamar? You know the giant looking squid?

William: Uhh...it wasn't following us.

Yumi: What do you mean it wasn't...uh oh...

Aelita: *over everyone's radio* AHHHHHHHH!

All: AELITA!

The warriors took off in their NavSkids back towards The main Skid and Aelita. Aelita was in terrible trouble. The giant squid known as the Kalamar was attached to the cockpit of The Skid using is 4 long mechanical tentacles. But instead of having a laser like the other monsters, it had a massive drill coming out from the bottom of it. It was trying to drill away at the glass sealing Aelita in an attempt to destroy her. However Aelita had activated The Skid's shields for protection but even they weren't going to last much longer.

Aelita: Jeremy help! The shields are about to go!

Jeremy: Guys hurry before The Skid and Aelita get destroyed!

Ulrich: We're nearly there Jeremy! We can see The Skid now!

Yumi: Hey you overgrown squid, leave her alone!

The 4 warriors each locked their targets onto the Kalamar and fired their torpedoes at the same time. The 4 torpedoes hit the Kalamar and destroyed it instantly, saving Aelita from near disaster.

Aelita: Phew...thank you everyone. That was close.

Odd: No problem princess. Just doing our job.

Jeremy: Hey guys, I don't mean to interrupt but look in front of you.

The warriors looked and saw another large spherical object sitting beneath The Digital Sea. Aelita quickly looked at the map interface and grinned widely.

Aelita: We're here everyone! We're back at Lyoko!

All: Awesome!

William: Now let's stop XANA's flooding attack on the city.

Aelita: I couldn't agree more William. NavSkids in.

Jeremy was pleased that they made it back safe and sound, but his happiness was cut short by the sound of water. He looked below him and saw the flood waters starting to come in through the elevator doors.

Jeremy: Guys hurry! The water is starting to flood the factory and pretty soon, it will short out the supercomputer!

The 4 NavSkids hovered over the base of The Skid and quickly connected back to it. Once that was done, Aelita piloted The Skid over to the entrance of Lyoko and after rotating back to its vertical position, the gates opened and The Skid made its way back into home.

* * *

**Indoor Go-Kart Track**

Back at the track, the flood waters were now up to the gang's chests. It was now also so high, that they began to float upwards getting closer and closer to the ceiling.

Natalie: Matthew...are we gonna make it?

Matthew: Don't worry...we'll make it. You'll see.

Matthew gently grabbed his girlfriends hand who in turn grabbed Gary's hand, who grabbed Alexis' hand, who grabbed Jonah's hand, who grabbed Mariah's hand.

Matthew: _(to himself) We're gonna make it...I hope._

The water continued to rise at an alarming rate and the gang floated up towards the ceiling.

* * *

**Lyoko-Desert Sector  
**

Back at Lyoko, The Skid popped out of The Digital Sea and made its way over to dry ground, right in front of the activated tower. Aelita docked The Skid beside the tower and energized herself out of it and back on the ground, and not a moment too soon. The water in the factory kept descending down the elevator shaft and soon it reached the core room. It slowly was beginning to seep in through the elevator's doors and was getting close to touching the core. On Lyoko, Aelita had already ascended to the top platform of the tower and entered Code: Lyoko.

Aelita: Tower deactivated.

The flood waters suddenly stopped, and it was a good thing it did. It was nearly touching the core of the supercomputer and getting ready to short out the circuits. The water in the lab as up to Jeremy's chair by the time it stopped. At the track, the gang's heads were nearly touching the ceiling as the room continued to fill up with water until suddenly it stopped. The young warriors gave a huge sigh of relief. Matthew looked at Natalie.

Matthew: I told you we would make it.

Natalie: Yes you did.

Natalie smiled and gave him a quick kiss as Jeremy launched the return to the past.

Jeremy: Return to the past now!

The white light consumed everything and faded away moments later.

* * *

**Sunday 1:00 PM-Indoor Go-Kart Track**

Jeremy: Is everything okay over there Matthew?

Matthew: Yes sir, everything is back to normal. You guys were just in time to. We were close to drowning in here.

Jeremy: Well I'm glad you all are alright.

Matthew: We are too sir. Take care.

Jeremy: See you in class tomorrow.

Jeremy hung up his phone and turned to his friends.

Odd: So now what do we do? We can't get in XANA's world with it being locked up.

Jeremy: You're right Odd, so here's what I've come up with. As you all still know, we still need to train Matthew and his friends on Lyoko. But I'm not going to direct them. I need to find a way to crack XANA's security code so that the next time we go there, we'll be able to get it. Although, I'm not quite sure how long it will take me, but just give me some time and I'll figure it out. As for the training, Aelita I'm going to need you to work the training program and guide our young warriors through it while I figure out XANA's security code. Let me know of how they do after they finished.

Aelita: Ok Jeremy.

Jeremy: As for the rest of you, just go about your normal routines but always be ready in case of another attack.

All: Got it.

Jeremy: Alright then. Now let's go home. We've all been through enough for one day.

The warriors nodded in agreement. They made their way up the elevator and out of the factory towards home. Jeremy knew that he had a lot of work ahead him in trying to crack XANA's security code.

Jeremy: _(to himself) I'll figure out that code one way or another. Let that be a warning to you XANA. We're coming after you._


	20. Prepare for Training Again

_**Chapter 20: Prepare for Training Again**_

It had been about 2 weeks since XANA's latest flooding attack. Within that time, the old warriors had finally found XANA's world but discovered that it was locked up tight with an extremely encrypted security code. After XANA's attack was stopped, Jeremy vowed himself to crack XANA's code no matter what.

Jeremy: _(to himself) He's caused enough damage and devastation to us. And now it's time that he goes down._

Since making that promise to find the code, he had spent countless hours staring at his computer screen in an attempt to break the code to the gate. Sometimes he would even deprive himself from much needed sleep after he would stay up all night sitting at his computer trying to find the answer. This worried his wife Aelita dearly. She knew why he was doing it, but she also knew that he couldn't push himself too hard and deprive himself from sleep just to break the seal. This also worried Jeremy's young daughter Maya. Maya was 9 years old and had shoulder length pink hair like her mother and wore a pink and white shirt, blue jean shorts, and white shoes. She didn't like the way her father was always in his Study Room on his computer and not playing with her sometimes. Of course, she had no idea what Jeremy was doing on his computer, but she figured that it was probably pretty important.

One evening, Aelita and Maya walked in their house after making a trip to the grocery store with ingredients for dinner only to find Jeremy not in the house. Aelita was confused until she heard a frustrated groan come from Jeremy's Study Hall. She knew where he was now. She walked over to the room to see Jeremy slouched in his chair with his head in his hands. She sighed sadly as she and Maya she set the bags of food down on the kitchen counter. It hurt her heart seeing Jeremy frustrated. She walked over to him and knelled down beside him.

Aelita: Jeremy, you need to rest. You've been going at this for the past 2 weeks. You're barely eating or sleeping and it's worrying me. Yes, it's essential that we stop XANA, but it is also essential that we worry about our needs to. And right now, you're not worrying about your needs.

Maya walked over to her father a few moments later.

Maya: Please Daddy, I don't like it when I see you like this. I don't know what you're doing, but I know it must be important. But you haven't played with me in a while and I feel lonely sometimes even with Mommy here.

Jeremy turned away from the screen for the first time in 2 weeks. He turned to face Aelita and Maya and could see a small tears in their eyes. He felt really guilty now.

Jeremy: I'm sorry you two, you're right. I have been worrying about this too much. I'll take a break from this for a while, but I'll have to go back at it afterwards.

Aelita gave a small smile and hugged him tight. Maya joined in with her.

Aelita: Thank you for understanding Jeremy.

Maya: Thank you Daddy.

They released their hug as Jeremy gave a long and loud yawn.

Aelita: Why don't you go and rest while I make us some dinner. I'll wake you up when it's ready.

Jeremy: Ok Aelita.

Aelita gave him a quick kiss as Jeremy got up from his chair. He then leaned down and kissed his daughter's forehead before slumping his way towards the bedroom. About an hour later, Aelita had finished making dinner for herself, Maya, and Jeremy. She made her way to the bedroom and knocked on the closed door.

Aelita: Jeremy, dinner's ready.

She received no answer.

Aelita: Jeremy, are you in there?

Still no answer. She slowly opened the door and saw Jeremy laying in bed sleeping soundly for the first time in 2 weeks. She couldn't help but smile. She quietly went into the bedroom and leaned over to give him a goodnight kiss.

Aelita: Goodnight Jeremy.

She then quietly exited the bedroom and made her way downstairs to the dining room to finish her dinner with Maya.

* * *

**The Next Day-Thursday 7:30 AM**

Aelita woke up next day to see that Jeremy was no longer in bed. She knew why, because Jeremy had gone off to Kadic to teach his Computer Science Class. After getting herself dressed, she went downstairs to the kitchen to make herself some breakfast. As she entered the kitchen, she saw something sitting on the counter. She walked over towards the object and picked it up. It was a note from Jeremy.

_Aelita,_

_I'm still going to try and figure out XANA's security code, but like you said, I'm not going to try and push myself this time. But I am going to need you to do me a favor. I've finished re-calibrating the Lyoko Training Program earlier this morning and it's now ready to go for Matthew and his friends. However, I'm not going to be able to direct them through the course due to the fact that I'm still trying to crack the code. So I need you to guide them through the course for me. You already know what they're supposed to do. Just let me know how they do once they've finished. By the way, since they're going to be in groups of 2, I figured that they should use their new vehicles. Matthew already has his OverRacer, but the others don't. So, I've created 2 more vehicles capable of carrying 2 warriors. One of them is for Gary and the other is for Alexis. Be sure to tell them that and remember to inform me off the results._

_Jeremy_

Aelita set the note down and smiled. She was glad that Jeremy was going to try and take it easy for a while and she was happy that she was going to help run the training program.

Aelita: After they're done with classes, I'll take them down to the factory.

Aelita then got to work on making herself and Maya some breakfast. While it was cooking, she heard the footsteps of Maya walking down the stairs to the kitchen.

Aelita: Good morning my dear.

Maya: *yawn* Morning Mommy.

Aelita: Are you hungry?

Maya: Yes I am. What are you making?

Aelita: Just some eggs and toast. Would you like some?

Maya: Yes please.

Aelita: Okay. Go get yourself dressed and ready for school while I fix us some breakfast. Oh and by the way, I'm going to be out of the house at about 4:00. So I won't be herer when you come home off the bus. Will you be okay by yourself until Daddy gets home?

Maya: I think so. When does Daddy get home again?

Aelita: About 5:00.

Maya: Okay. I can wait that long.

Aelita: Good, and don't forget to do your homework right after you get home.

Maya: I won't. I promise.

Aelita smiled as she continued to make their breakfast and Maya got herself ready. After they ate, Aelita waited with her daughter outside on the sidewalk for Maya's school bus to arrive to pick her up. She didn't have to wait long as 5 minutes later, the bus pulled up in front of them. Maya gave her mother a hug as she got ready for another day of elementary school.

Maya: Bye Mommy. See you when you get home. I love you.

Aelita: I love you to Maya. Have a good day.

Maya released her hug and stepped onto the bus. Aelita watched the bus leave before heading back inside to continue on with her day.

* * *

**A Few Hours Later**

It was now about 3:45 PM as Aelita left her house and walked over towards Kadic to meet up with Matthew and the gang. When she arrived, the bell signifying the end of the school day rang and she saw the many students exited the building. She waited outside in the courtyard for the young warriors and a few minutes later, she saw them.

Aelita: Matthew!

Matthew and the gang turned and looked at Aelita who was waving at them to come over.

Matthew: Hey guys, it's Mrs. Belpois.

Natalie: Hmm...I wonder what she's doing here?

Jonah: Well let's go see.

The gang walked over to Aelita who greeted them warmly.

Aelita: Good afternoon everyone.

Gary: G'day Mrs. Belpois. What brings you here?

Aelita: I'm here to bring you all to the factory.

Mariah: Uhh...any reason as to why you're taking us there?

Aelita: Because it's time to resume your Lyoko Training.

Alexis: It is? Wow...I completely forgot about our training.

Matthew: Yeah, I guess after all the attacks from XANA over the last couple weeks I guess made us forget about it.

Aelita: Well, no matter now. Come on young ones, time to resume your training.

Aelita lead the gang of young warriors into the park and towards the factory.

* * *

**Abandoned Factory-Computer Lab**

The industrial doors of the old elevator opened up revealing the computer lab. Aelita walked over to the computer and sat in the chair preparing the training program. The gang watched her as she typed away at the keyboard, until Natalie noticed something out of place.

Natalie: Excuse me Mrs. Belpois, but where is Mr. Belpois? I thought he was the one who was going to train us.

Aelita: That was the original plan Natalie, but there is a reason why he's not this time. Remember XANA's flood attack 2 weeks ago?

Mariah: How could we not? We nearly drowned at the Indoor Go-Kart track with the water flooding inside.

Aelita: Yes well, before he attack, my friends and I took a trip in our virtual submarine through the Digital Sea. During our exploration, we found something extraordinary.

Jonah: What was it?

Aelita: XANA's world.

The gang gasped.

Matthew: You guys found XANA's world?!

Aelita: Indeed we did. But we couldn't get inside.

Alexis: Why not?

Aelita: Because his world was locked up tight and required a security code in order for the gate to open. We couldn't get it open and that's when XANA attacked. But after we stopped him, Jeremy has spent the last 2 weeks trying to crack the code leading to XANA's world. And he told me that he was going to be unable to guide you all through this course today so he asked me to do it while he works on the code.

Matthew: Well that would make sense. So what does he want us to do?

Aelita: Your mission is going to be the same as last time. Find the activated tower quickly and destroy the monsters guarding it quickly. Only this time, instead of going at it solo, you all will be put into groups of 2.

Jonah: Who's gonna be with who?

Aelita: He didn't really say, so I guess I'll put you in groups.

All: Okay.

Aelita: Right so, Matthew you'll be paired up with Mariah. Gary will be paired up with Natalie, and Jonah will be with Alexis. Everyone clear?

All: Yes ma'am.

Aelita: Great, now Matthew and Mariah will go to the Forest Sector, Gary and Natalie will go to the Desert Sector, and Jonah and Alexis will go to the Ice Sector. Now off to the scanners with you young warriors.

The warriors descended down to the scanner room. Matthew and Mariah were the first to step in.

Aelita: Here we go. Transfer Matthew. Transfer Mariah. Scanner Matthew. Scanner Mariah. Virtualization.

* * *

**Lyoko-Forest Sector**

Matthew and Mariah dropped down from the virtual sky into the Forest Sector.

Matthew: We're here Mrs. Belpois.

Mariah: Go ahead and send the next pair.

Aelita: Roger that. Transfer Gary. Transfer Natalie. Scanner Gary. Scanner Natalie. Virtualization.

* * *

**Lyoko-Desert Sector**

Gary and Natalie landed in the dusty virtual desert a few seconds later.

Gary: All is well Mrs. Belpois.

Natalie: We're ready to go.

Aelita: Good to hear, but just wait for the last pair. Transfer Jonah. Transfer Alexis. Scanner Jonah. Scanner Alexis. Virtualization.

* * *

**Lyoko-Ice Sector**

Finally, Jonah and Alexis dropped down into the virtual tundra that was the Ice Sector.

Jonah: That's everyone Mrs. Belpois.

Alexis: We're ready to begin.

Aelita: Great. Can you all hear me?

All: Yes ma'am!

Aelita: Great. Now before we begin, Jeremy wanted me to tell you all something. You all know how Matthew has his own vehicle, the OverRacer right?

All: Yes.

Aelita: Well good news, Jeremy said that he has finished programming the other 2 vehicles and said that you all should use them in this training session.

The warriors eyes lit up with excitement.

Gary: What are they?

Natalie: And who's getting them?

Aelita: The vehicles are all capable of carrying 2 of you warriors and they will go to Gary and Alexis.

Gary &amp; Alexis: Thank you Mrs. Belpois!

Natalie: Congrats on the vehicles you two.

Aelita: Ok first let me program Matthew's vehicle.

Aelita tapped away at the keyboard and a few seconds later, Matthew's OverRacer was virtualized in front of him and Mariah. Matthew hopped in the driver seat while Mariah jumped in the passenger seat behind him.

Aelita: Ok, here comes Gary's vehicle.

Aelita tapped at the keyboard again and program Gary's new vehicle. Gary's eye went wide. His vehicle had the configuration of a Dune Buggy but had larger wheels, almost like monster truck wheels. It was painted red with black trimming and had two seats beside each other. The front bumper of the vehicle had a think piece of metal that covered the entire bumper with the ends folded up in front of the wheels. It looked like it was to be used as a sort of ramming device, to knock monsters out of the way.

Aelita: Say hello to the OverBuggy.

Gary: Wooooow...this is awesome! Reminds me of the times I drove a Dune Buggy with my dad back in Australia.

Natalie: You went dune buggying with your dad?

Gary: Oh yeah. It was great fun!

Aelita: Ok here's Alexis' vehicle.

Aelita typed away at the keyboard one last time and Alexis' vehicle appeared in front of her and Jonah. She instantly fell in love with it the first time she laid her eyes on it.

Alexis: Holy smokes that's awesome!

Alexis' vehicle was a virtual 2-seat helicopter. It was dark green and black and had 2 laser machine guns on each side of it.

Aelita: Let me introduce you Alexis to the OverCopter.

Alexis: I LOVE IT! I've always wanted to fly an actual helicopter!

Jonah: Really? Have you ever gotten the chance?

Alexis: Sadly no, but someday I will.

Aelita: Well now that everyone has gotten acquainted with their new vehicles, everyone get ready, the training is about to begin.

The warriors hopped in their vehicles and got ready.

Aelita: Ok the towers are activated. Matthew and Mariah, your tower is West of your position.

Matthew &amp; Mariah: Got it!

Aelita: Gary and Natalie, your tower is Northeast from where you are.

Gary &amp; Natalie: Yes ma'am!

Aelita: And Jonah and Alexis, your tower is South Southwest from you spot.

Jonah &amp; Alexis: Got it!

Aelita: Everyone ready?

All: Yes ma'am!

Aelita: Ok. Time to resume Code: Training.

* * *

**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! And before I leave, I wanna give a big big BIG thank you to my friend pokemonking0924 for giving me the ideas for the 2 new vehicles. Thank you so much pokemonking! :D Let me know what you all think, and as always leave a review telling me what you think or to post and idea, and be sure to follow and favorite if you're looking for more. Thanks again! FakeACU83 OUT!**


	21. Tag Team Training: Matthew & Mariah

_**Chapter 21: Tag Team Training: Matthew &amp; Mariah**_

**Lyoko-Forest Sector  
**

Once again, the training had begun. The young pairs of warriors took off in the directions of their towers in their new Lyoko Vehicles. In the Forest Sector, Matthew and Mariah sped down the narrow paths in Matthew's OverRacer. Matthew was having a great time racing through the virtual woods, but Mariah was a little nervous with how fast he was going.

Mariah: Oooh...please be careful will ya Matt? One wrong move and we'll fall into the Digital Sea!

Matthew: Ah quit your worrying Mariah. Besides, if that does happen, I can still activate flight mode and it'll get us out of that mess. Or would you rather have me fly this car and risk hitting a tree and then falling into the Digital Sea, hmm?

This shut Mariah right up as he gave her a sly smirk.

Mariah: On second thought, you're doing great. Keep it up...

Matthew: Heh heh, that's more like it. Where to Mrs. Belpois?

Aelita: Keep following the path that you're currently on and when you see the paths divide in front of you, take the the path on the left and then go right. From there you continue going straight until you see a hallow tree tunnel. Go through that then go right. From there keep going straight until you two see your tower.

Mariah: We're on it ma'am!

Matthew pressed the throttle pedal down further and raced away through the forest. Meanwhile over at Kadic, Jeremy was grading his Computer Science student's tests on his laptop. Some of the tests he was quite pleased with because of the effort that was put into them, but the rest of the tests weren't so great and this made him frustrated, but he tried not to dwell on it too much. He just simply continued grading the exams. He was about halfway through grading all of them when he suddenly remembered something.

Jeremy: Oops. I forgot to tell Aelita that I programmed a new item for Matthew. I better call her and tell her quick.

He got out his cell phone and dialed her number. Meanwhile over at the factory...

*RING RING RING*

Aeltia: Hello?

_Jeremy: Aelita, it's Jeremy._

Aelita: Oh hello Jeremy. How are things?

_Jeremy: Could be better. Most of my students failed their test that I gave them today._

Aelita: Uh oh, that's not good. Did Matthew at least pass his?

_Jeremy: Yes he did. Thank goodness for that. By the way, is Maya okay?_

Aelita: She's fine. She should have gotten off her bus by now. She said that she would be okay by herself until you got home and she said that she would do her homework while she's at home.

_Jeremy: Ok, that's good to hear. Anyway, speaking of Matthew, I forgot to mention something in that note I left you this morning._

Aelita: Oh? And what would that be?

_Jeremy: I programmed a new item for Matthew._

Aelita: What kind of new item?

_Jeremy: Here's what it is. Now listen closely._

Over on Lyoko, Matthew and Mariah reached the divided paths.

Matthew: Hang on Mariah! Sharp turn coming up!

Mariah hung on tight to Matthew's seat as he quickly turned left and continued on his way. A few seconds later, he made a right turn.

Matthew: You holding up okay back there?

Mariah: Oh yeah, I'm fine!

Matthew: Good to know! Here comes the tree tunnel!

Mariah looked ahead and indeed saw the hallow tree tunnel that Aelita told them to go through.

Mariah: Did she say go right after we go through this?

Matthew: Yeah she did. So hang on!

Matthew raced through the tunnel and popped out the other side a few seconds later. He then quickly made a right hand turn and continued going straight for the rest of the journey, while back at the factory...

Aelita: Uh huh...uh huh...okay Jeremy I'll tell him. I love you too. Bye.

Aelita hung up her phone and turned her attention back to the computer screen.

Aelita: Matthew, Mariah, do you read me?

Matthew: Loud and clear Mrs. Belpois! We're almost at the tower.

Aelita: That's good to hear because I got something for you Matthew.

Matthew: Yes yes I know we got monsters coming up. What do you expect?

Aelita: That's not what I mean.

Matthew: Oh? Then what is it?

Aelita: I just got off the phone with Mr. Belpois. He said that he has programmed a new item for you.

Matthew: Uhh...a new item?

Aelita: Yes, and since you two are coming up to your tower, it would be a good time to explain it.

Matthew: Well we're almost at our tower, so go ahead.

Aelita: Ok, first let me program it onto your head.

Matthew: Alright...wait my head?!

Aelita quickly tapped the keys on the keyboard and pressed ENTER. A few seconds later, a pair of goggles were virtualized on Matthew's head.

Matthew: What are these?

Aelita: They are your new Analyzing Goggles.

Matthew: What do they do?

Aelita: They have many different purposes. They can be used to analyze a monsters life points, attack methods, and name. It also has a night vision mode to help you navigate through a dark area. They are also binoculars that can help you zoom in on your enemies from afar.

Matthew: Dude that's so cool! Tell Mr. Belpois he's awesome!

Aelita giggled a bit.

Aelita: I'll be sure to tell him that. Oh look at that, you're at your tower.

Matthew and Mariah looked ahead and saw their green glowing tower standing in front of them. They could also see 4 Tarantulas and 4 Krabs guarding the tower also glowing green.

Matthew: You ready for a little battle Mariah?

Mariah took out her laser cannons from their holsters.

Mariah: Oh I'm ready alright.

Matthew: Ok now listen. I'm going to drop you off here. You're going to attack them from the ground while I give you a little air support, okay?

Mariah: Good thinking Matt. That'll work wonders.

So Matthew stopped the OverRacer a little ways away from the tower and Mariah got out.

Matthew: Good luck and be careful. Mrs. Belpois might be controlling them, but don't expect her to play fair.

Aelita: HEY! I HEARD THAT!

Matthew: I'm kidding ma'am! Anyway, get going and I'll cover you from up here.

Matthew then activated flight mode and his OverRacer took over into the sky while Mariah sprinted her way towards the tower, laser cannons ready.

Mariah: Hey there my monster friends! Care to play?

The monster looked over towards Mariah. The Tarantulas prepared to fire when...

Matthew: BANZAI!

Matthew came flying in firing his OverRacer's laser cannons at the monsters. The monsters didn't see him coming at all as Matthew already destroyed 2 Tarantulas. However, 2 more Tarantulas as well as all 4 Krabs began to retaliate. The Tarantulas began firing their powerful lasers at Matthew who just flew around the tower in order to miss them. As for Mariah, she jumped up in the air and aimed her cannons at one of the Krabs. At the moment, she fired a few rounds in the Krab's eye and destroyed it successfully, leaving only 3 Krabs. They soon began to fire back at her, but Mariah was able to dodge their attacks. Thinking quickly, she slid down on her knees underneath another Krab and fired her laser cannons from under it, thus destroying the second of the 4 Krabs. However, when she got back on her feet, the last 2 Krabs fired and hit her in the stomach and chest area. She lost 40 lifepoints but wasn't ready to back down.

Mariah: Ah go back to the ocean you creepy crustaceans!

Mariah aimed her laser cannons at the last two Krabs. They fired multiple shots her but she was able to miss them as she jumped up in the air once again. Things seemed to go in slow motion as she aimed her guns at the eyes and fired multiple rounds in them, destroying the last 2 Krabs. Up in the air, Matthew set his sights on one of the two remaining Tarantulas. It kept firing its laser at him but wasn't able to hit him. Matthew used this as an opportunity and he fired his lasers straight into the XANA eye of the Tarantula and destroying it. However, the last Tarantula fired at his OverRacer and with one hit, it was devirtualized. Matthew fell to the ground and skidded to a stop now having 30 fewer lifepoints. But Matthew readied his War-hammer and the last Tarantula prepared to fire.

Matthew: You know, I've always hated giant spiders and I've always wanted them dead. You my friend are no exception.

Matthew focused his energy on his hammer and it began to glow white.

Matthew: Mariah, I suggest you get out of the way and hide. Things are about to get heavy!

Mariah took off away from the scene and hid behind one of the many virtual trees in the area. Matthew then sprinted his way over towards the Tarantula as the beast fired multiple shots at him. But Matthew just dodged them all and jumped high into the air.

Matthew: SHOCKWAVE!

Matthew swung his hammer hard onto the ground and a massive shockwave spread out all around, knocking the green glowing Tarantula into the Digital Sea. Mariah emerged from her hiding spot a moment later.

Mariah: Now that was cool!

Matthew: Thanks. We did it Mrs. Belpois!

Aelita: Good work you two!

Suddenly, the computer began to pick up activity. Aelita looked and saw 4 more monsters coming at the duo.

Aelita: Look out, more monsters are coming!

Matthew and Mariah prepared themselves for another fight, until they heard a familiar mechanical roar.

Matthew: Oh no...

Mariah: Not them again!

It was them. The two young warriors looked behind them and saw 2 of XANA's new Tigers. But they also saw something else that looked even more terrifying. The young warriors backed away slowly as they tried to figure out what the other 2 monsters were.

Mariah: What the heck are those?!

Matthew: I don't know, but I'm not gonna enjoy this...

* * *

**Oooooooooooooh...them cliffhangers though! Sorry about that. I just wanted to make something that will keep you on the edge of seats. I hope it worked! Anyway, I want to give another big thank you to my buddy pokemonking0924 for giving me the idea of Matthew's goggles. Man you've just been on a roll with these ideas. The rest of you guys need to start catching up HA HA XD! But I digress...anyway hope you all enjoyed and stayed tuned to find out how Gary and Natalie's training goes. Once again, FakeACU83 OUT!**


	22. Tag Team Training: Gary & Natalie

_**Chapter 22: Tag Team Training: Gary &amp; Natalie**_

**Lyoko-Desert Sector  
**

**A few minutes before Matthew &amp; Mariah's new monster encounter**

In the dusty virtual Desert Sector of Lyoko, Gary and Natalie were speeding through in Gary's new OverBuggy.

Gary: Man this feels like old times when me and my dad went dune buggying.

Natalie: Just keep an eye on where you're going and what you're doing please.

Gary: Ahh quit your worrying Nat, I know what I'm doing. I know how to control one of these things.

Natalie: Maybe in real llife you do, but this is virtual. Things are a bit different here than they are on Earth.

Aelita: Natalie's got a point there Gary, be careful.

Gary: Got'cha Mrs. Belpois. So where do we go from here?

Aelita: Good thing the Desert Sector is open and very flat, so your tower won't be very hard to find. In fact, it's just a little further away from where you two are now. You'll have to first make it over the next two plateaus in front on you and then go left. After that, it's should be straight ahead across another three plateaus.

Natalie: Well that sounds easy enough.

Gary: Let's rock and roll

Gary pushed down on the throttle further and sped off towards the next plateau. After about a minute, he could see the plateau in front of him but he could also see a gap that he and Natalie would have to cross in order to continue. Luckily for Gary, he saw a giant flat rock laying on the ground sitting in the position of a ramp.

Gary: Hang on Nat, get ready to get some air!

Natalie: I hope you know what you're doing, because if we don't make this jump, it's down into the Digital Sea with us!

Gary: Trust me on this one Natalie! Hold on tight!

Natalie held on to her seat as tight as she could as Gary drove the OverBuggy up the ramp...and over onto the next plateau.

Gary: WOO HOO! We made it Nat!

Natalie: Whew that's a relief.

Aelita: It may be a relief right now, but may I remind you that you have a few more jumps to make.

Natalie: ...Great.

Gary: Ah don't worry Natalie, we'll be fine, you'll see.

Gary continued travelling through the Desert Sector jumping over onto the next plateau then making a hard left turn immediately after landing. From there he made the next two jumps and could see the tower ahead of them on the final plateau. Gary turned to face Natalie, feeling very pleased with himself.

Gary: Ya see Natalie, I told ya I knew what I was doing. I'm completely capable of...

Natalie: GARY LOOK OUT!

Gary looked up in front of him and saw in horror that he and Natalie were on a collision coarse with a massive jagged rock sitting just in front of the next ramp.

Gary: OH CRIKEY!

Gary tried to swerve out of the way but couldn't move in time. He clipped the rock with the left rear tire and sent him, Natalie, and the OverBuggy spinning out of control. Then there was more trouble. The OverBuggy kept spinning until it felt off the edge of the plateau and plummeted towards the Digital Sea. Aelita watched in horror as the young warriors drew closer and closer to being devirtualized forever.

Aelita: Gary, Natalie, NO!

Gary was in a state of panic that he didn't notice what he was doing. He accidentally pushed a small red button that was placed on the right side of the steering wheel. Suddenly, a pair of red and black tipped wings popped out of the sides of the OverBuggy and the rear wheels turned back 90 degrees and started to glow bright orange. Then out of the nowhere, flames came out of the back wheels and the OverBuggy took to the skies just missing the Digital Sea by inches. Gary grabbed a hold of the controls and flew away from the Digital Sea and back towards the tower. He and Natalie were surprised as well as Aelita.

Natalie: Wha...what just happened?!

Gary: I wish I knew. All of the sudden, my buggy just grew a pair of wings and decided to fly.

Aelita: I think Jeremy had something to do with it. He must have modified the buggy for just this type of emergency, flying out of danger, such as falling in the Digital Sea.

Gary: Well how the bloody heck did that happen?!

Natalie then noticed the button on the steering wheel.

Natalie: I think that answers your question.

Natalie pointed out the button to Gary. He slapped his forehead.

Gary: I didn't even know that thing was there. I must have hit it while I was panicking.

Natalie: Well I hope you learned your lesson.

Gary: Note to self: Never take your eyes off the road.

Aelita and Natalie chuckled a bit.

Natalie: Anyway, let's land this thing. We're at our tower now.

Gary flew towards the ground until he was barely above it. He pressed the red button again and the wings went away and the rear tires went back to the way they were. The Overbuggy was now back to normal as Gary neared the tower.

Aelita: Get ready you two, your monsters are waiting for you.

Natalie looked ahead and saw 5 Bloks and 2 Megatanks all glowing green were standing in front of the tower.

Natalie: I have an idea Gary.

Gary: Let's hear it.

Natalie: Let's test out that reinforced front bumper of yours. I'm gonna jumped out and go after the Megatanks while you take the OverBuggy and knock a few Bloks out of the way.

Gary: I like your think Natalie. Let's do it!

Natalie got up from her seat and jumped out as Gary floored it and raced towards the Bloks. The Bloks saw him coming and they prepared to fire, but some of them didn't get the chance to attack. Gary was coming in very fast. He lined himself up to 2 Bloks and at the last minute, he jumped out of the buggy and tumbled to the ground, while the buggy continued on still carrying a lot of speed. It rammed into 2 of the 5 Bloks and knocked them both far off to the side and exploding a few seconds later. Gary got back up on his feet just as Natalie ran past him running towards one of the Megatanks. The mega monster opened itself up and charged up its powerful laser. It then fired at Natalie, but she was able to miss the attack. While the Megatank was charging up its laser again, Natalie sprinted her way up towards it and took out one of her twin blades and stabbed it into the Eye of XANA just before the Megatank could fire. After it exploded, she picked up her sword and looked for the other Megatank. Little did she know that it was rolling up right behind her. But Gary could see it coming.

Gary: NATALIE LOOK OUT BEHIND YOU!

Natalie looked behind her and gasped as she saw the second Megatank rolling towards at a tremendous rate. She jumped out of the way at the last second and just barely missed getting rolled over and being devirtualized. She quickly got back on her feet and ran towards the metal monster just as it opened up. It was too slow to attack however, as Natalie once again stabbed one of her swords into XANA's eye and exploded the last of the Megatanks.

Meanwhile Gary was handling the Bloks. He knew he had to be careful around them as he remembered his battle with them when he was on his solo training mission. Where he got his leg frozen by one of them and nearly got devirtualized in the process. Taking out his 2 boomerangs, he threw one of them at one of the Bloks but it moved out of the way at the last second. Gary however wasn't worried, because boomerangs are designed to come back, and that was indeed what happened. As the Blok was charging up its laser, it failed to notice the boomerang come back at it from the side. Before it could fire at Gary, the boomerang struck the Eye of XANA and destroyed the third of the 5 Bloks. Now Gary had both of his boomerangs in hand and only 2 Bloks left standing.

Gary: I learned my lesson the first time I trained with you guys, and I'm not gonna let that happen again!

He threw his 2 boomerangs at the same time and both of them hit the 2 Bloks in the eyes and destroyed them both with ease. The boomerangs came back to him a second later as Natalie came up behind him and high-fived him.

Natalie: That was great work Gary!

Gary: Great teamwork you should be saying.

Aelita: Well done you two. Great effort today.

Suddenly, the computer began to pick up some activity. Aelita looked at the main screen and saw 4 more monsters coming at them. But she wasn't in control of them. She knew at that moment that it was XANA.

Aelita: Guys look out. XANA has sent you some monsters. But that's strange, I can recognize 2 of them but I can't tell what the other 2 are.

Natalie: Well can you at least tell us what the first 2 are?

Natalie and Gary got their answer, but not in the way that they had wanted. They heard a loud mechanical roar and both of them froze in their tracks.

Gary: Oh crikey...

Natalie: This can't be good.

Gary and Natalie looked behind them and saw 2 of XANA's Tigers walking towards them growling fiercely at them. The 2 young warriors began to feel a little scared. They remembered their first encounters with the beasts and they did not want to relive that again. Then they noticed something else behind the Tigers. It was 2 more monsters but they were unlike any monster that they have seen before.

Gary: Uhh...what are those?

Natalie: That is an answer I wish I had Gary...

The warriors backed away slowly towards their tower now feeling even more frightened by the new monsters.

* * *

**Even more cliffhangers HA HA! But don't worry, all will be revealed in due time. In any case, stay tuned to find out how Jonah and Alexis' training goes with Alexis' new OverCopter. Once again, as always, leave a review telling me what you think, PM me if you have an idea, and be sure to follow me and favorite the story if you want more. And as always, FakeACU83 OUT!**


	23. Tag Team Training: Jonah & Alexis

_**Chapter 23: Tag Team Training: Jonah &amp; Alexis**_

**Lyoko-Ice Sector  
**

**A few minutes before Matthew, Mariah, Gary, and Natalie's new monster encounter**

In the Ice Sector of Lyoko, Alexis and Jonah were flying around in Alexis' new OverCopter, with her being the pilot and Jonah manning the machine guns that were mounted on the sides.

Alexis: This is awesome! I love my new vehicle!

Jonah: I'm actually quite surprised how well you're doing.

Alexis: What makes you say that?

Jonah: Well you never really piloted one of these things before on Earth, even though you've always wanted to.

Alexis: Well I may have never flown one before, but I've seen the cockpit of one and it's real complicated to understand. So many buttons, levers, and switches in there. But in the OverCopter, it's much easier. There's just the joystick, the machine guns, and one other red button here that I have no idea what it's for.

Jonah: Well let's worry about that later. Who knows, it might come in handy today.

Alexis: Maybe.

Jonah: Just be careful flying this thing. You're still new to it.

Alexis smirked at Jonah.

Alexis: Why, do you not trust me?

Jonah: I didn't say that.

Aelita chuckled at the two friends.

Aelita: Ok you two, that's enough. Remember, you have a tower to find.

Alexis: Right. Which way Mrs. Belpois?

Aelita: Keep going in the direction you're in. You should see it in a few minutes. Lucky for you two, you can see your tower easier from the air and you don't have to worry about the obstacles on the ground.

Jonah: That certainly makes the journey a whole lot easier.

Alexis: You're telling me. Now let's do this!

Alexis continued on her way soaring through the virtual sky of the Ice Sector. She was having fun piloting her new helicopter. So much so, that she began to get a little too overconfident. She started to push the copter's abilities to its limits. She saw a few tall spikes of ice standing in front of her. She decided to have a little fun and increase the speed to maximum power. Jonah got worried as he saw Alexis heading towards the ice spikes.

Jonah: Uhh...Alexis...I think you should slow down a little and go around the ice.

Alexis: Aww come on, where's you're sense of fun?

Jonah: It ran away when it saw you flying towards the ice!

Alexis: Ah quit your worrying. I got this.

She sped towards the ice at a tremendous rate and was now on a head-on collision course with one of the ice spikes. Jonah shut his eyes, anticipating a crash, but at the last possible second, Alexis twisted the joystick to the right and barrel-rolled past the spike missing it by inches. She then did the same thing to a few more spikes, although she nearly clipped one of them. Soon they were in a small clearing. Alexis looked over to where Jonah was still holding his hands over his eyes. Alexis giggled a bit at the sight.

Alexis: You can open your eyes now Jonah. We made it.

Jonah slowly opened his eyes and gasped as he saw something in front of him.

Jonah: Uhh...I wouldn't say that Alexis.

Alexis was confused.

Alexis: Why not?

Jonah: LOOK IN FRONT OF YOU!

Alexis looked and gasped as she saw that they were on another head-on collision course with one last ice spike. She grabbed a hold of the joystick.

Alexis: HANG ON JONAH!

She twisted the joystick as far as she could to the left, but it wasn't enough. Part of the OverCopter hit the ice spike and knocked it off balance. It wasn't a hard hit but it was enough to knock Jonah lose from his seat and fall out of the copter and towards the Digital Sea. Alexis gasped in horror.

Alexis: JONAH NO!

Aelita: ALEXIS DO SOMETHING OR ELSE JONAH IS DONE FOR!

Alexis looked around the cockpit to see if there was anything she could do. She then noticed the red button mounted on top of the joystick. She pressed the button hoping it would do something that could help. And it did. The bottom of the OverCopter opened up and out came a grappling hook and wire. Alexis suddenly had and idea.

Alexis: Hang on Jonah, I'm coming!

She charged her way down towards Jonah who was nearing the Digital Sea. When she got close enough, she swung the grappling hook down at Jonah. Jonah saw it coming towards him and without thinking twice, he grabbed onto the hook and wire missing the Digital Sea. Alexis breathed a huge sigh of relief as did Aelita. She then brought Jonah back up and he climbed back in his seat. He was not happy.

Jonah: You see what happens when you get too cocky?! I almost got killed because of your foolishness! What in the world were you thinking?!

Alexis didn't know how to respond. She had never seen Jonah that angry. Aelita then spoke.

Aelita: Jonah, I know you must be upset, but there's no reason to blow up at Alexis. What she did was wrong, I know, but I'm sure that she's learned her lesson.

Jonah looked back at Alexis.

Alexis: I'm sorry Jonah. I've learned my lesson. Never get too overconfident and always watch where you're going.

Jonah: Ok, and I'm sorry for blowing at you.

Alexis smiled.

Alexis: It's okay, you had every reason to do so.

Jonah chuckled a bit as Alexis got a hold of the controls once more and continued on their way towards their tower. It wasn't long before they could see their green glowing tower in front of them, but that wasn't the only thing that they could see.

Jonah: Looks like we got a little welcoming committee.

Alexis looked down at the ground and saw a group of 4 Tarantulas and 4 Krabs, all glowing green, guarding the tower. Alexis suddenly had an idea.

Alexis: Jonah, I have a plan.

Jonah: Lay it on me.

Alexis: Ok, first we need to get rid of the stronger forces first, meaning the Tarantulas. For that, we'll try out the laser machine guns that the OverCopter has. Once that's done, I'll land the copter beside the tower and then we'll both take on 2 of the Krabs.

Jonah: That's good thinking. I'm in.

Jonah readied the machine guns and was soon locked on to one of the 4 Tarantulas.

Alexis: I'll try my best to dodge their attacks while you take out the Tarantulas. You ready?

Jonah: Ma'am, yes ma'am!

Alexis zoomed in closer to the Tarantulas as the monsters got ready to fire.

Alexis: Ok Jonah...FIRE!

Jonah fire multiple rounds out of the laser machine guns at the Tarantulas. The Tarantulas did the same to the two young warriors, but were unsuccessful in hitting them. Jonah kept a good lock-on on one of the Tarantulas and fire a few rounds at it, hitting XANA's eye and destroying the first of the four.

Jonah: One down, three to go. Get me lined up for the next one!

So Alexis, turned back around and sped down towards the group of monsters all while trying to dodge their attacks. Jonah them fire a few more rounds, but this time at the 3 remaining Tarantulas. He was able to destroy two of them, but the third fired at them and hit the tail of the OverCopter, causing it to spin out of control and being devirtualized. Jonah and Alexis fell out of the copter and landed hard on the ground below, costing them each 50 lifepoints. But they weren't ready to back down just yet. Alexis got out her short sword and ran off to deal with some of the Krabs, while Jonah readied his war axe and sprinted his way to the last of the Tarantulas. The overgrown spider continued to fire multiple lasers at him, but Jonah was able to miss its attacks as he jumped up in the air and swung his war axe hard at the Eye of XANA, destroying the last of the Tarantulas.

Jonah: That ought to teach you for destroying out new ride!

Jonah then noticed Alexis trying to deal with the remaining 4 Krabs, but was having trouble trying to destroy them.

Jonah: Hang on Alexis, I'm coming!

Jonah ran towards her and got out his war axe. He then jumped up in the air again and landed on top of one of the Krabs. He swung his axe and hit XANA's eye. He then jumped off and landed on the ground, just as the Krab exploded. Suddenly, one of the Krabs fired at him and hit him in his back.

Aelita: Careful Jonah! You're down to 30 lifepoints!

Jonah groaned as he got back on his feet.

Jonah: Ah go back to the ocean where you belong!

Jonah ran towards the Krab as it fired more lasers at him. Lucky for Jonah, he missed the attacks and use the opportunity to drop down onto his knees and slide underneath the Krab. With quick thinking, he took his war axe and jabbed it up and out of the Krab, slicing through XANA's eye and destroying it as he got back on his feet. Meanwhile, Alexis was now starting to get in her rhythm. She had a plan on how she could destroy both of the remaining 2 Krabs at the same time. She looked behind her and saw a sloped piece of ice.

Alexis: _(to herself) That should work perfectly. _Hey you Krabs, bet ya can't catch me!

Alexis took off running towards the ice with both Krabs hot on her tail. She looked back and smiled to herself, pleased to see that both Krabs were walking beside each other, just as she had hoped.

Alexis: _(to herself) Ok, here goes nothing._

With the Krabs continuing to fire at her, but kept missing her, Alexis ran up the sloped ice and jumped off the end of it and aimed herself at the Krabs. And right at the last second, she took out 2 of her 6 throwable daggers and threw them at both of the Krabs, hitting them both in XANA's eye and destroying the both at the same time. She landed back on her feet a second later.

Alexis: Booyah! Now that's what I'm talking about!

Jonah came up behind her, also impressed.

Jonah: Now that was pretty cool.

Aelita: Well done both of you. You both did very well today. All of you did.

All: Thank you ma'am

Aelita: Ok, time to bring you all in.

But before Aelita could materialize the warriors, the computer began to pick up some activity. Aelita looked at the computer screen and saw that a group of 4 monsters were heading for all 3 pairs of warriors. The only thing was, she wasn't the one controlling them...XANA was.

Aelita: Uh oh...look out everyone, XANA has sent you some monsters!

Aelita then noticed something strange.

Aelita: But...that's weird. I can't tell what two of them are.

Alexis: Well can you tell us what the other ones are?

Alexis and Jonah soon got their answer, but it wasn't the answer they had hoped for. They suddenly heard a loud mechanical roar coming from behind them. The two young warriors froze in fear, they knew what it was.

Jonah: Just our luck...

Alexis: Why does it have to be them?

Jonah and Alexis looked behind them and saw in horror 2 of XANA's new Tigers, but that wasn't the only thing they saw. Standing behind the Tigers were two more monsters that looked just as terrifying.

Jonah: What on Earth are those...

Alexis: You're asking the wrong person my friend.

The monsters standing behind the Tigers were taller than the Tigers but a little shorter than the Krabs. They had a manlike upper body that was a dark blue color. It's arms had its laser cannons at the end of them and had tank-treds at the bottom that provided their movements. On the back of them was XANA's eye, but the back of the monster look like it had a thick layer of glass that guarded the eye. Jonah and Alexis weren't the only ones who saw the new monsters. In the Forest and Desert Sectors, Matthew, Mariah, Gary, and Natalie saw them too, along with the 2 Tigers. They were also frightened by them and didn't know how to handle them. Aelita stared at the computer screen trying to comprehend everything that was happening, but it as all happening so fast that she couldn't wrap her head around the situation. Finally she spoke.

Aelita: Everything take out the Tigers.

All: WHAT?!

Mariah: Are you insane? Last time we tried to do that, we all ended up getting devirtualized! They're impossible to destroy.

Aelita: No they're not, I've destroyed one before.

Gary: I beg your pardon ma'am?

Aelita: Back when XANA attacked the school with the electric force field and attacked us at The Hermitage, I came face-to-face with one of the Tigers myself. I remembered what Matthew said about the Eye of XANA in its mouth, so I threw a few Energy Fields at it. It got so frustrated that it roared and I used that chance to fire an Energy Field at its mouth and I destroyed it.

Natalie: So all we have to do is get it angry enough to roar and then we strike?

Aelita: That's right Natalie. Try your best to do just that, and Matthew, maybe now's a good time to test out your new Analyzing Goggles. See if you can get an analysis on what these new monsters are and how they attack.

* * *

**Lyoko-Forest Sector**

Matthew: I'll try Mrs. Belpois.

Matthew put the goggles over his eyes and readied his Warhammer. The rest of the warriors got out their weapons as they prepared for round 2 against the Tigers.

Matthew: I'll be looking for a much better outcome against you Tigers!

Matthew charged at one of the Tigers and swung his Warhammer at it, but the Tiger was quick to react and was able to dodge the swings. It then tried to slice at Matthew, but unlike last time where he got devirtualized, he was able to miss it this time. Matthew tumbled and rolled out of the way and then started to bang his hammer at the Tigers skin. It did no damage to it, but Matthew could tell that it was starting to get angry. Matthew smirked and continued to swing his hammer at the skin. Eventually, the Tiger grew tired of this and swiped its claws at Matthew again. However, Matthew able to miss it by inches as he jumped back. Now the Tiger was mad. It gave out a loud roar and Matthew saw his chance as he saw the orange glowing orb inside its mouth. He focused his energy on his hammer to give it more power until it glowed bright white. He then sprinted his way towards the Tiger as it continued to roar loudly. With one final leap, he jumped in the air and swung his hammer hard at the orb. The Tiger groaned and stumbled back before falling on its side and exploding. He then turned his attention to the new monsters, who looked like they were getting ready to attack.

Matthew: Now lets see what we have here.

Matthew activated his goggles and focused on the monster.

Goggles: _(Computer Voice) Analyzing monster._

Meanwhile, Mariah was having a go at the last Tiger. She saw how Matthew destroyed his and decided to give it a try. She fired her two laser cannons at the beast hitting its skin, but doing no damage at all. The Tiger grew frustrated and swiped its claws at her. It didn't want to have the same ending as the other Tiger did. It swiped its massive claws at Mariah a few more times, but each time Mariah missed them. She continued to fire multiple rounds at the Tiger and could see that it was getting more and more frustrated, but the Tiger just refused to roar. Mariah kept firing and firing, until the Tiger couldn't hold it back any longer. It opened its mouth and gave out a mighty roar and gave Mariah her chance to destroy it. She ran up towards it and jumped up in the air and fire two shots from her cannons into its mouth and hitting the orb. She came back down on her feet as the Tiger fell on its side and exploded.

Mariah: Holy cow, we did it!

Aelita: That's good you two, but now you have to deal with the new monsters. Which by the way Matthew, is that analysis almost done?

Matthew: Almost. In the meantime, lets see how these ugly things attack. Come on Mariah, CHARGE!

The two young warriors ran up to the two new monsters with their weapons in hand. But just before they could even attack, the monsters cannons suddenly blasted out electricity and created a force field around themselves. Matthew and Mariah couldn't stop in time and bounced right off of them and tumbling to the ground losing another 20 lifepoints.

Matthew: Oh come on!

Mariah: How is that even fair?!

Goggles: _(Computer Voice)_ Analysis complete. Sending to mainframe.

Matthew: Mrs. Belpois, the analysis is done. You should be able to...AHHH!

Matthew didn't a chance to finish as one of the monster deactivated its shield and fired one powerful laser at him, devirtualizing him instantly.

Mariah: MATTHEW NO! AHH!

Mariah also got devirtualized after the second monster shut off its shield and fired its laser at her.

Aelita: What the...what just happened?!

* * *

**Lyoko-Desert Sector**

In the Desert Sector, Gary and Natalie were trying to defeat their two Tigers. Gary kept throwing his boomerangs at it, sometimes hitting its skin. He could see that it was starting to get upset, so he threw them a few more times at its skin until the Tiger couldn't take it anymore. It gave a loud roar and Gary saw the orb. Thinking quickly, he threw one of his boomerangs at the orb and with one solid shot, the boomerang struck the orb and destroyed the Tiger. The boomerang returned to Gary a second later.

Gary: Never mess with an Australian who knows how to handle boomerangs.

He turned his attention to the new monster and charged at it. Meanwhile, Natalie kept swinging and hitting the Tiger with her twin blades. She could see it getting angry, so she continued to hit it some more. Eventually, the Tiger roared at her and Natalie threw one of her blades like a tomahawk and struck the orb dead center. As the Tiger exploded, Natalie retrieved her sword and ran off with Gary to the new monsters.

Natalie: Ok, lets see what Thing 1 and Thing 2 can do!

But before either of them could strike the new monsters, they shot electricity out of their cannons and created a shield around them, just like what happened with Matthew and Mariah. And just like Matthew and Mariah, Gary and Natalie bounded off the shields and fell to the ground losing 20 more lifepoints.

Gary: Ok now that's just plain cheating! You wanna piece of me ugly?! AHH!

Natalie: GARY! OOF!

Both Natalie and Gary were quickly devirtualized by the new monsters.

Aelita: What is going on?!

* * *

**Lyoko-Ice Sector**

In the Ice Sector, Jonah and Alexis weren't having the same amount of luck with the new monsters. They had successfully destroyed their two Tigers after getting them angry and Jonah hitting the orb with his axe and Alexis throwing one of her daggers at the orb. Now they were about to attempt to destroy the new monsters, but just like their friends, they found out that the monsters could create force fields around them and block their attacks.

Jonah: That's not fair! GAH!

Alexis: Uh oh...DAH!

And just like that and the rest of their friends, Jonah and Alexis were quickly finished off by the new monsters. In the factory, Aelita just sat in the chair and just blankly stared at the screen.

Aelita: Uhh...WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!

* * *

**First chapter of the new month of April. Hope you all enjoyed and be sure to leave a review telling me what you think or send me a PM if you have an idea on how I can continue the story. And don't forget to favorite the story and be sure to follow it if you want me to keep writing. This was the longest chapter I've had to write for this story...my hands hurt now. But that's just the life of an author I guess. By the way, another big thank you to pokemonking0924 for giving me the idea for the new monsters. You rock man! Anyway, FakeACU83 OUT!**


	24. Analysis

_**Chapter 24: Analysis**_

**Abandoned Factory-Scanner Room**

Two of the three scanners opened up and out came the first pair of Matthew and Mariah. They groaned a little as they stepped out of the scanners, mostly from getting devirtualized by XANA's new monster.

Mariah: Matthew...what the heck just happened?

Matthew: Hopefully we'll get our answer when the analysis from my goggles come in.

A few seconds later, the same two scanners opened up and out stepped Gary and Natalie after their encounter with the Tigers and the new monsters.

Gary: Ahhh man...

Natalie: You two will never guess what happened to us on our mission.

Matthew: Let me take a wild guess, you all finished your mission but ended up seeing the Tigers and some sort of new monster that XANA sent you, you both destroyed the Tigers but got devirtualized by the new monsters?

Gary: ...Yeah...how did ya know?

Mariah: The same thing that happened to you two happened to us on our mission.

Natalie: Talk about a coincidence. Didn't the same thing happen to all of us on our solo training mission?

Matthew: The mission where we first met the Tigers...then yes it did.

A few more seconds later, the scanners opened up once more and out came the last pair of young warriors Jonah and Alexis.

Alexis: Holy cow...you guys will never guess what...

Gary: You guys got to your tower...

Natalie: Then XANA sent you the Tigers and two new monsters...

Mariah: You both destroyed the Tigers...

Matthew: But got devirtualized by the new monsters.

Jonah and Alexis looked at their friends baffled.

Jonah &amp; Alexis: How did you know?

Gary: The same thing happened to us four.

Mariah: Just like our solo training mission when we first encountered the Tigers.

Alexis: That makes sense.

Jonah: So what do we do now? This is the second time that this has happened. Does this mean that everytime we're going to train, a new monster comes out and beats us?

Natalie: At the rate it's at now, it would seem that way, but let's hope it's not.

Gary: And what about those new monsters. Did you see them?! Those things were creepy and down-right powerful.

Jonah: How are we even gonna defeat if we see them again?

Matthew: Lucky for you guys, my new Analyzing Goggles were able to get an analysis on those things. Hopefully when it reaches the supercomputer, Mrs. Belpois will be able to tell us what it is and how to beat it.

Alexis: Speaking of Mrs. Belpois, we should probably go up and meet her. She's probably waiting for us and most likely just as confused as we are.

Matthew: Well then come guys, let's go.

The gang made their way over to the old elevator and up towards the lab.

* * *

**Abandoned Factory-Computer Lab**

Aelita sat in the computer chair just stunned at the events that just happened a few moments ago on Lyoko. She now knew how Jeremy must have felt when the Tigers first came out of nowhere and devirtualized the young warriors in an instant. She was so busy trying to wrap her head around the situation that she didn't notice the elevator doors opening up and gang walking towards her.

Matthew: Uhh...are you ok Mrs. Belpois?

Aelita finally snapped back into reality as she turned around in the chair to face the gang.

Aelita: Yes I'm fine...just...stunned to say the least.

Gary: You're not the only one feeling that way ma'am.

Matthew: We were hoping that you could shed some light on what just happened on Lyoko.

Aelita: I think XANA is getting more and more frustrated and worried.

The young warriors looked at her confused.

Mariah: Umm...I can understand XANA getting frustrated because he hasn't been able to stop us, but I don't understand why he would get worried.

Aelita: Think about it you all, we found XANA's world. The very world that stores his core. Why wouldn't he be worried? He's trying to stop us from getting into his world, and sending us these new monsters is just part of it.

Matthew: And keeping his world locked up tight like you told us earlier in another part of it as well.

Aelita: That's exactly right. He doesn't want Jeremy to crack the security code to enter his world. He knows we're after him, and I can tell you all right now that XANA is just getting started. I don't know what he has planned for us, whether it's making more monsters and sending them our way, or attacking the city more and more. Only time will tell. For now, we all have to be on our guard at all times...and hope that Jeremy breaks the code soon.

Alexis: But besides that, can you tell us a little more about those new monsters?

Matthew: Yeah, did my analysis even come through.

As he said that, something popped up on the main screen of the computer. Aelita turned around in the chair and looked at what came up. It was the analysis that Matthew's new goggles had given.

Aelita: It just came up now. Come take a look.

The gang huddled around the chair and looked as Aelita read out the results.

Aelita: Okay...so...according to this analysis, those new monsters are called "Shielders".

Natalie: Well the name sure suits them.

Jonah: You can say that again.

Aelita: Apparently, the Shielders area just as powerful as the Tigers are, only they don't have claws, but their laser cannons can devirtualize you in one shot, so be aware of that if you see them next time.

All: Got it.

Aelita: They also have a different method of movement. They move on tank-treads, giving them more traction and maneuverability. The treads apparently came bring out spikes giving them the ability to climb vertical surfaces and gain more traction on ice. They are also capable on using those spikes to stick themselves to the ground. So Matthew, if you're not careful, your Shockwave ability won't knock them in the Digital Sea.

Matthew: That's definitely not good...

Aelita: No it is not. Anyway, they have the same amount of lifepoints as the Tigers of at least 200, and the Eye of XANA is located on their back, but it is covered with what appears to be a think layer of glass. So in order to destroy it, you all must first be able to break the glass and then hit XANA's eye.

Jonah: That's gonna be tough, especially if we can't get to them if they use their forcefields to block us.

Alexis: Is there anyway at all to break their shields?

Aelita: Actually, there is. The forcefields that they create have a small amount of lifepoints, 50 lifepoints to be exact. A couple of hits with your weapons should be able to break the forcefields, but you'll have to be quick, because they can regenerate their forcefields, but it takes them at least 5 minutes to regain its power and summon it again.

The gang groaned.

Gary: I thought the Tigers were bad. These guys are just plain tough!

Aelita: I agree with you Gary, but we have no other choice. The only thing we can do now is continue to fight XANA and his growing number of new monsters. The only way we can stop him is if we get into his world and destroy his core.

Natalie: By the way, has Mr. Belpois made any progress on cracking the code?

Aelita: Unfortunately no. XANA kept it very secret and secured. Who knows how long it might take him to figure it out. It could be days, months, years, I don't know, but I hope he finds out sooner rather than later.

Jonah: Well it's after school hours, so I think we should tell him what happened this time on Lyoko.

Aelita: Good idea, I'll call him and tell him to meet us here at the factory.

Aelita got out her cell phone and dialed Jeremy's number.

* * *

**Kadic Academy-Jeremy's Classroom**

Jeremy had just finished grading his student's test and was now getting ready to go home and wait for Aelita to finish up with the gang's Lyoko training. He put his laptop in his bag, walked down the hallways, out of the campus, and headed towards home, but before he reached the campus gate, he felt his phone vibrate and heard its ringtone. He got it out of his pocket and looked at who was calling him, it was Aelita.

Jeremy: Hey Aelita.

_Aelita:__ Hello Jeremy, are you still at Kadic?_

Jeremy: Yes I am, but I'm at the campus gate getting ready to walk home. Why do you ask?

_Aelita: Because the youngsters and I have some news for you in regards to the training. Hang on, let me put you on speaker so that we can all talk._

Aelita quickly put her phone on speaker and spoke again.

_Aelita: Can you hear me Jeremy?_

Jeremy: Yes I can hear you. Ok Aelita, what were the results.

_Aelita: Well the training went according to plan. The kids all made it to their towers in good time and did so with their new vehicles._

Jeremy: That's great and how did Gary and Alexis like their new vehicles?

_Gary: Absolutely fantastic sir!_

_Alexis: You're the best Mr. Belpois!_

Jeremy chuckled a bit.

Jeremy: Thank you Gary and Alexis.

_Aelita: Anyway, they all made it there in good time and were able to defeat their monsters in good time thanks to the help of good planning and teamwork._

Jeremy: That's always important to have.

_Aelita: Indeed it is. Then things started to go downhill..._

Jeremy: Uh oh, what do you mean?

_Aelita: I'll let our young warriors explain what happened._

_Matthew: Well sir, do you remember our solo mission when XANA sent us the Tigers for the first time?_

Jeremy groaned. He knew where this was going already.

Jeremy: Oh no...don't tell me...

_Matthew: It's true sir. XANA sent us another new monster._

Jeremy: What was it?

_Natalie: Matthew was able to use his new Analyzing Goggles to get some info on them._

Jeremy: And what did it say?

_Gary: Well sir, the new monsters are called "Shielders"._

_Jonah: They're just as strong as the Tigers and have the same amount of lifepoints. They have a dark blue man-like upper body and big laser cannons at the end of their arms that can devirtualize someone in an instant._

_Alexis: They move with tank-treads, giving them more traction and maneuverability. They can also summon spikes on the treads giving them the ability to climb vertical surfaces and give them more traction on ice. And they can use those spikes to hold themselves in place on the ground, so Matthew's Shockwave ability won't be able to knock them away._

_Mariah: That have the ability to generate a forcefield around themselves using their cannons and preventing us from destroying them. But there is a way._

_Matthew: My goggles' analysis shows that the forcefields has at least 50 lifepoints, meaning that a few hits from us will be able to destroy the forcefield, but only for 5 minutes, as they can regenerate them again. The Eye of XANA is located on the Shielders back but is covered with a think layer of glass. So once we destroy its shield, we must them break the glass on its back and hit the eye, all before they can regenerate their shields and devirutalize us._

Jeremy took a moment to process the information that he had just received.

Jeremy: I see. XANA is getting worried I see. He must really not want us getting in his world, so he's sending us these new monsters to stop us.

_Aelita: That's what we figured out too Jeremy, and we fear that he's not done making new monsters._

Jeremy: You might be right Aelita. So for now, everyone stay on your guard in case of another attack or another new monster.

_All: Yes sir!_

Jeremy: Good, now with that said, I'm going to head home now and I'll wait for you here Aelita so we can warn the others about the Shielders.

_Aelita: Ok Jeremy, I'll be home soon. I love you._

Jeremy: I love you too. Bye.

_Aelita: Bye._

* * *

**Abandoned Factory-Computer Lab**

Aelita turned her phone off speaker and hung up the call as she faced the gang again.

Aelita: Well, that was another interesting training session. I think it would be best that you all hurry back to your dorms before curfew.

Matthew: Hang on a minute, I just had a great idea!

Aelita and the gang turned and looked at Matthew quite confused.

Aelita: What is it?

Matthew: We can tell that XANA has upped his game by bringing us those new monsters right?

All: ...Yes...

Matthew: So I think it's time that my friends and I upped our game as well!

The gang looked at Matthew with blank stares.

Gary: What are you talking about mate?

Matthew: Here me out on this. You know how Mrs. Belpois and her friends have these awesome abilities on Lyoko, like super speed, telekinesis, and all that?

The gang was now figuring out where Matthew was going with this.

Jonah: Wait a minute...

Natalie: Are you saying that...

Mariah: We should get our own abilities?

Alexis: Like you have your Shockwave and Lightning?

Matthew: That is exactly what I'm saying!

The gang just beamed the biggest smiles ever. Even Aelita was impressed with the idea.

Aelita: That's good thinking Matthew, but the only question I have is, how are you going to be able to do that exactly?

Matthew: I'll find a way to program the abilities onto our virtual forms. Don't worry, Mr. Belpois was actually teaching us how to program in his lesson today. That's what our test was on!

Aelita: By the way, he told me that you passed yours.

Matthew: See that's what I'm saying. I have some knowledge on how to program, so I shouldn't have any trouble with giving you guys some new abilities. That way, you won't have to get jealous of my awesome abilities on Lyoko anymore.

The gang playfully rolled their eyes and clucked at Matthew joking around.

Gary: That's sounds like a great idea mate, but how long do you think it will take ya?

Matthew: That I can't answer for sure. It may be a while. So for, you all are just gonna have to wait and let me work it all out. But until then, let's get back to Kadic. It's getting late.

The gang and Aelita all walked towards the old elevator and made their way out of the factory. They said goodnight to Aelita as she walked back to her house to meet Jeremy there, while the gang of young warriors all snuck their way through the sewers and back to the respective dorms.

* * *

**Lyoko-Unknown Location**

Far away in a world hidden in the Digital Sea stood a figure who was standing inside a tower looking at an interface and watching the warriors every move. The figure was just a black mist with eyes but had the shape of a human being. It chuckled evilly as it watched the young warriors and the old warriors. It's voice sounded like a demonic entity that came from a horror movie.

?: So it seems that they're on to me. No matter, I will destroy them all one by one. My body is slowly being programmed and soon, I will destroy those wretched warriors and take my rightful place as ruler of the world!

The misty figure cackled evilly as it turned off the interface and disappeared from the tower.

* * *

**Now things are starting to get interesting! Oh boy this is gonna be something else! What will happen with our new warriors? Is this only the beginning of an eventual disaster? Who is this mysterious misty being and what does he have in store form our heroes? What will our new warrior's new abilities be? Only I know the answer to all of those questions, so just stay tuned and find out what happens next.**

**Note: I want to say another big thank you to pokemonking0924 for the idea of the Shielders. You guys really and I mean REALLY need to start catching up with the ideas, because right now pokemonking is just leaving you all in the dust. So keep the reviews coming and keep the ideas coming, and if I like you idea, I'll put it in the story and be sure to give you the rightful credit.**

**Thanks again for reading and enjoying! And as always, FakeACU83 OUT!**


	25. Attack of the Animals Part 1: Possession

_**Chapter 25: Attack of the Animals Part 1: Possession**_

**November-A couple weeks later**

It had been a couple of weeks since the gang's tag team training on Lyoko, where they found out that XANA had created another new monster, called the Shielder, to try and stop them. Since then, XANA had been unusually quiet. Normally he would attack pretty much on a daily basis, but since the training, he hasn't attacked once. This of course concerned both the old and new warriors greatly, for they had no idea why XANA wasn't attacking nor did they know what he had in store for them next. However, there was one person who didn't really pay attention to the concerns at all, and that was young Matthew.

Since he and his friend's encounter with the new Shielders, Matthew figured that he and the gang had to get a "Lyoko Upgrade" so to speak. Meaning that he would program new abilities for his friends, since he already had his Lightning and Shockwave abilities. The gang all wanted to know what he was planning on giving them, but Matthew kept telling them that it was a surprise and that he didn't want to ruin it. The gang understood this and let him continue to work. However, over the past couple of weeks, they noticed that Matthew had been quite distant from them. He had been working non-stop at trying to program the new abilities and hadn't really hung out with them at all. They decided to go and talk to him about it one dark and gloomy Sunday afternoon.

* * *

**Kadic Academy-Matthew's Room**

The five friends arrived at Matthew's dorm room, but before they could knock on the door, they heard the sound of what could be Matthew slamming his fist on his desk and yelling in absolute frustration.

Matthew: UGH! COME ON! WHY WON'T IT WORK?!

The gang looked at each other, each with a worried look on their face. Now they weren't sure if they wanted to bother Matthew right now, but Natalie thought otherwise. She gently knocked on the door and waited for a reply. A few seconds later, Matthew opened the door and saw all his friends standing there obviously looking concerned.

Matthew: Umm...I'm guessing you guys heard my yelling didn't you...

Gary: Yeah we did. We came to check on you mate. We're all a little worried about you.

Matthew: Worried? Why?

Mariah: Well, you've been keeping yourself distant from us for a while.

Jonah: You've barely hung out with us...

Alexis: And you've barely spoken to us at all.

Natalie: We know that you've been working on the abilities for us, and we appreciate that, but you still have to remember that you have a life and friends out here and not in front of a computer screen.

Matthew looked at his friends, shame written all over his face. They were right, he had been distant from them. He hung his head down in shame.

Matthew: I'm sorry guys. I guess trying to get your new abilities programmed has kept me from being outside of my room and being with you guys.

Gary: It's alright mate, we forgive you. Right guys?

All: Right!

Matthew smiled at his friends.

Matthew: Thanks guys.

Jonah: That reminds me, how is the programming going may I ask?

Matthew: Not too good. For some reason, I'm having trouble just getting the basics of your abilities programmed. I don't know if I'm doing something wrong, or if my laptop can't handle it. I just wish I knew.

Mariah: We'll we can see that your obviously frustrated about it.

Natalie: So we wanted to know if you wanted to take a break and come and hang out with us in the recreation room.

Jonah: We're having a Foosball tournament between us. Me vs. Alexis, Gary vs. Mariah, and you vs. Natalie. You wanna play?

Matthew: I'd love to. It would sure beat sitting and starring at my computer screen every hour of the day.

The gang laughed and walked away towards the rec. room.

* * *

**Odd Della Robbia's House**

Odd sat sadly in his front yard starring at a mound of dirt surround by a bed of flowers with a framed picture of him a his dog Kiwi. The gloomy outside atmosphere was a lot like Odd's mood inside, gloomy and sad. Just a few meters away from his house, Jeremy, Aelita, Ulrich, Yumi, and William were walking up towards Odd. They didn't notice him in his front yard though until they reached the driveway. Ulrich was the first to notice. He saw Odd looking at the mound of dirt with a few tears in his eyes. He whispered something to the gang.

Ulrich: *whispering* Oh man, I forgot guys. Today's the anniversary.

Yumi: *whispering* Anniversary for what?

Ulrich pointed over to where Odd was sitting and instantly, the crews faces all frowned. The walked over to Odd.

Jeremy: Hey buddy, you feeling okay?

Odd still had a few tears in his eyes as he looked up at his friends.

Odd: Yeah, I guess.

William: It's that day again isn't it?

Aelita: The anniversary of Kiwi's passing.

Odd: Yeah it is. 4 years ago today, Kiwi passed away...my little diggity-dog.

Odd continued to sod as he remember his old pal. He remembered all the good times he had with him, from the day he first brought him home, to the day of his passing. 4 years ago, Kiwi had passed away in his sleep, but he passed away peacefully. He ended up living to be about 16 years old, but sadly it was his time to go. Odd of course was devastated when he found that out next morning.

Aelita: I'm really sorry about Kiwi, but you have to admit, he lived a long life for a dog.

Odd: *sniff* Yeah...I just miss him.

Jeremy: Have you thought about getting yourself another dog?

Odd: I have, but I didn't want to. Nobody could replace Kiwi. He may have been a little dumb, but he was the best dog I could have.

He friends all gathered around him and hugged. Odd smiled a bit. He appreciated his friend's condolences. Ulrich then spoke.

Ulrich: Hey, we're taking a walk through town and we were wondering if you wanted to come. It might clear your head about Kiwi.

Odd: Yeah, I'd like that. Thanks guys.

Before Odd stood up, he gave Kiwi's grave one last pat and stood up to join his friends, unaware of events that would later occur.

* * *

**Lyoko-Desert Sector**

XANA was at it once again for the first time in a few weeks. One of the towers in Lyoko turned from blue to red and in the computer lab of the factory, XANA's specter oozed out of the wires and out of the factory towards the city. It made its way over to the local zoo, where many guests and children were admiring the many animals that were there. However, unbeknownst to them, XANA's specter crept its way into the zoo and over to the Lion attraction. The zoo keeper was feeding the 2 lions and 2 lionesses a few raw flanks of steak. He didn't notice that the specter had crept out of the lion's den and slowly made its way over to one of the lions behind him. The large animal was gnawing on the steak when suddenly, the specter entered its body. The lion groaned and roar as it felt XANA begin to possess it. The zoo keeper heard the commotion and looked behind him to see the lion twitching and passing out on the ground. He quickly made his way over to the laying cat and checked to see if the beast was alright.

Suddenly, he heard the lion growl lightly. He shook the lion a few times to try and wake it up. Then out of nowhere, the lion's eyes flashed open but they're weren't normal. The lion's eyes were now a bloody red with XANA's symbol in its eyes. The lion lashed out at the zoo keeper, who luckily missed getting clawed by inches. He stumbled away before the lion could attack again as the beast walked over to the other three cats. They all back away in fear, until suddenly, the XANA possessed lion lunged forward and grabbed a hold of the other lion and held him down as he bit down on his left leg. The lion growled in pain, then started to twitch and pass out, before awakening a few seconds later now possessed by XANA also. The two lions then looked over to the cowering lionesses as they lunged at them also.

Meanwhile, the old warriors were walking through the city streets in an attempt to help Odd forget about Kiwi for the day. For the moment, it seemed to work and Odd felt happy. Then, Odd's stomach started to growl and his friends heard it.

Odd: Wow...I'm hungry.

Ulrich: Heh, well that's no big surprise good buddy.

Odd playfully nudged Ulrich's shoulder and the rest of the warriors chuckled a bit.

Yumi: We're near your favorite restaurant Odd, Café de Martinis.

Odd: Oh boy, yes please! I could go for some of their food right now.

Jeremy: I think we all could. Come on, let's go and get us a table.

The warriors walked across the street over towards the café, when suddenly they heard the growling again.

William: Sheesh Odd, tell your stomach to settle down. We haven't even walked in the building yet.

Odd: Uhhh...that time it wasn't me.

The warriors looked at him confused.

Aelita: It wasn't? But you're always the hungry one.

Odd: I know that, but I'm serious, that time it wasn't my stomach that was making the noise.

Suddenly, they heard the growling noise again, only this time it was much louder. Then they heard the sound of people screaming. They turned around and saw many people and children running for their lives away from something screaming bloody murder.

Yumi: What the heck is going on?!

Jeremy: I don't know, but it looks like those people were coming from the zoo. Let's go and check it out!

So the old warriors took off towards the zoo to try and figure out what was happening. When they arrived, they gasped. The zoo was in complete chaos, with people running and screaming everywhere and all the animals out of the areas attacking the innocent people.

Aelita: What on Earth happened?

Suddenly, the lion from earlier heard Aelita and looked over to where she and the warriors were standing. The lion roared loudly and sprinted towards them. The warriors gasped at the beast coming towards them. And for a split second, they all could see XANA's symbol in the lion's eye.

Ulrich: RUN FOR IT!

The warriors ran for their lives and the lion just missed clawing them but inches. It turned to see the warriors running off down the road and away from the zoo. The lion then turned its head towards the other animals and gave a mighty roar getting the other animals attention. It then motioned its head to half of the animals over to the warriors signaling them to follow them while the rest of the animals followed him. The animals split into their groups and ran off. Meanwhile for the warriors...

Odd: You thinking what I'm thinking?

All: XANA!

Jeremy: I knew I was right to be worried. He hasn't attacked in a few weeks and now he's gone and possessed all the zoo animals.

William: We better get to the factory and fast!

Jeremy: I agree. Are they still behind us?

Aelita looked behind her and saw half of the animals chasing after them, but also saw the other animals head in a different direction.

Aelita: Only about half of the animals are behind us, but the rest of them are going somewhere else.

Yumi: But where would they go.

Suddenly it hit them like a ton of bricks.

Odd: Uh oh...

All: THE GANG!

* * *

**Kadic Academy-Recreation Room**

The gang were having their Foosball tournament. Gary had beat Mariah and Alexis had beat Jonah, to which he couldn't believe. Now Matthew and Natalie were playing.

Matthew: Sorry Natalie. I love you, but you're going down.

Natalie smirked back.

Natalie: Oh we shall see about that.

They soon started their match with Gary and Jonah watching them and Alexis and Mariah looking at the phones. Carrie and Casey, the 12 year old Kadic News Reporters were there too looking at magazines. Matthew and Natalie were so focused on the game that they didn't notice someone walking into the rec. room and walking up behind Matthew. However, Natalie, Gary, and Jonah noticed and immediately froze. Matthew was confused.

Matthew: What's wrong guys?

Gary: Look behind you mate.

Matthew slowly turned around and gasped at the sight of Brandon, who had just returned from his 3-week suspension for harassing Natalie.

Brandon: Well if it isn't the Yankee Matthew.

Brandon smirked at him while Matthew just gave him a death glare.

Matthew: If I were you Brandon, I'd step away from me and my friends before I make you.

Brandon: Oh, and is that a threat?

Matthew: Nope, it's a promise.

The gang had their mouth's wide open as Matthew stood up to the biggest bully at Kadic. Brandon just laughed.

Brandon: HA! Is that right? Well why don't you go ahead and do it?

Matthew: I would, but I won't. I got more sense that you do Brandon. I don't go and pick fights and harass everyone on campus. So unless you want to get suspended again, I suggest you leave.

Brandon: Hmph, fine! But this isn't over yet Matthew. You know what I'm after.

Brandon walked away from the gang and sat down on the rec. room's couch. He then grabbed the TV remote and started flipping through the channels.

Natalie: He's got some nerve that boy.

Matthew: You're telling me. Now let's finish our game.

The two lovebirds resumed their Foosball game while Brandon continued to scroll through the channels. As he was looking through them, he came across the local Channel 7 NEWS and something there caught his interest. He turned up the volume to get a good listen.

NEWS Reporter: Good afternoon everyone, we are following breaking news out of the local zoo. Just moments ago, for some strange reason, all of the animals suddenly escaped from their attractions and began attacking innocent people. Thankfully, all of the guests were able to escape with their lives without further injury. We now to our live reporter on the scene.

This got the attention of the gang. They stopped what they were doing and gathered around the couch.

Matthew: Hey Brandon, turn it up a bit.

Brandon did so and the gang listened closely to the live reporter.

Live Reporter: Thank you very much. We're standing by the now empty zoo where just moments ago, all the animals escaped from their pens and ran off into the city. Standing beside me is one of the zoo keepers who was the first victim and witness of the strange attack. Sir, can you tell us what happened?

Zoo Keeper: Well first off, it started out as a regular routine for me. I was tossing some raw steaks at the lions for lunch making sure not to hit them because that could set them off. Luckily I didn't hit them with the meat and so they began to chew of the steaks. Well as I was getting ready to leave, all of the sudden I heard the sound of growling from one of the lions. I turned around and I could see one of the lions twitching violently as if it was having a stroke. I saw it fall on its side and I rush over to help. Well, as I was trying to wake it up, I heard it growl again and then its eyes flashed open, but they weren't their usual color.

Live Reporter: What do you mean by that exactly?

Zoo Keeper: You all might find this crazy, but I saw that the eyes were a bright red color and they had a strange symbol in the middle of their eyes, almost like they were possessed or something.

The gang gasped as the zoo keeper explained what happened. It was then they realized what was going on.

All: XANA.

Brandon heard them and instantly grew curious.

Brandon: What are you morons talking about? Who is this XANA?

Mariah: It's none of your concern you big brute.

Brandon grew defensive. He got up from the couch and grabbed a hold of Mariah, making her shriek loudly.

Brandon: You wanna say that to my face pretty girl?

Jonah: Let her go!

Jonah shoved Brandon away from Mariah. Brandon was angry and so was Jonah. He was about to stand up to Brandon when Gary and Matthew grabbed a hold of his shoulders and held him back.

Matthew: Take it easy buddy.

Gary: Don't do anything you'll regret.

Alexis: Hey guys, listen to the reporter.

The gang turned their attention back to the TV.

Live Reporter: Well certainly a very strange sequence of events over here, and from what the zoo keeper has told us, it seems that half the animals have gone off somewhere unknown, while the rest of them seem to be heading towards the suburbs. Why they are heading that way, I'm not quite sure.

NEWS Reporter: Thank you for that update.

The gang starred at the TV, fear beginning to settle in. Just then...

*RING RING RING*

Matthew: Mr. Belpois, what's going on?

Jeremy: Matthew, this is an emergency! XANA has possessed all of the animals in the zoo!

Matthew: We know, we just saw it on the NEWS. Where are you all?

Jeremy: We're on our way to the factory, but we may need you help. Get here as fast as you can!

Matthew: Ok sir, we're on our way.

Matthew hung up the call and turned to his friends.

Matthew: Mr. Belpois needs help. Come on guys!

Brandon: Hold it right there.

Brandon blocked the doorway preventing the gang from leaving.

Matthew: Oh for crying out loud dude, can't you just leave us alone for once?!

Brandon: Not this time. You guys are hiding something and you're going to tell me what it is right now!

Gary: Why the heck should we tell you?

Then Matthew had an idea and smirked slyly.

Matthew: You know what guys, I think we should tell him.

The gang looked at Matthew stunned.

All: WHAT?!

Matthew: *whispering* Don't worry, I got this. Brandon come with me for a second and I'll tell you.

So Matthew led Brandon away from the gang. The gang turned around and saw Matthew giving them a thumbs up signaling them to get to the factory.

Brandon: Alright, spit it out.

Matthew: Well you see, those animals are being possessed by a computer virus called XANA and its up to us to go to the old factory and stop him.

Brandon: A evil computer virus possessing the animals? HA! Alright what's the real reason you and your friends are...

Brandon gasped as he say that the rest of the gang was no longer standing there.

Matthew: Like I said, I got more sense that you do.

Brandon: Why you no good, little...

*BANG*

A loud bang was heard outside. Matthew turned around and gasped. The animals had arrived at Kadic. Carrie and Casey went for cover feeling absolutely terrified. Brandon looked at the animals and saw XANA's eye in their eyes. He thought back to what the zoo keeper had said on TV and what Matthew just told him now.

Brandon: Impossible...

Matthew: Now do you believe me?

Brandon: You know what? For once I do.

* * *

**Abandoned Factory-Computer Room**

The gang had arrived at the factory and a few seconds later, the old warriors arrived as well. The gang was able to make it to the sewers before the possessed animals went to Kadic while the old warriors were able to gain some distance between them and the animals.

Jeremy: Where's Matthew?

Natalie: Uhh...he should be on the way sir.

*RING RING RING*

Natalie: Hello?

Matthew: Natalie, we're in big trouble over here. The animals are here at school and their blocking our way out. Brandon is here to, but I can't get to the factory.

Natalie: Matthew's in trouble! The animals are at Kadic!

Gary: Jonah and I will go and help.

Jonah: You guys get to Lyoko and deactivate the tower fast!

Aelita: Be careful you two.

Gary &amp; Jonah: We will

Gary and Jonah raced away backed towards Kadic

Jeremy: The rest of the animals are probably on their way here right now. So we need someone who can hold them off while we deal with the tower.

William: I'll volunteer.

Odd: So will I.

Yumi: Me two

Jeremy: Okay. Natalie, Alexis, Mariah, Ulrich, and Aelita. Get to scanners while I start the virtualization process.

* * *

**Abandoned Factory-Scanner Room**

Jeremy: Transfer Ulrich. Transfer Aelita. Scanner Ulrich. Scanner Aelita. Virtualization.

Ulrich and Aelita dropped down into the Desert Sector and a few seconds later, Ulrich's OverBike was virtualized in front of him.

Jeremy: Transfer Natalie. Transfer Mariah. Transfer Alexis. Scanner Natalie. Scanner Mariah. Scanner Alexis. Virtualization.

The three girls dropped down into the Desert Sector and Jeremy programmed the OverCopter. Ulrich got on his OverBike, while Alexis and Mariah got in the OverCopter.

Natalie: Uhh...don't you need a ride Mrs. Belpois?

Aelita: You must have forgotten about my wings.

Aelita summoned her Angelic Wings and floated in the air.

Aelita: You ride with Ulrich and I'll go from up here.

So Natalie hopped on board the OverBike.

Jeremy: Ok guys, the tower is North Northeast from there. Better hurry.

The warriors took off in the direction of the tower hoping to stop XANA's attack before it was too late.

* * *

**Boy this chapter took a while to write and I'm still nowhere near done with it. This is the longest chapter I have ever written. So to ease the pain in my wrists and fingers, I've decided that I'm going to split this into two parts. By the way, I just want to mention that I'm going to try and update this story at least once a week. So expect the 2nd part of this chapter to be posted next week around this time. And do I really need to say thank you to this person again for giving me the idea for this XANA attack? I think I should. THANK YOU POKEMONKING0924! YOU ROCK MAN!**

**Stay tuned for more and as always, FakeACU83 OUT!**


	26. Attack of the Animals Part 2: To Lyoko

_Previously on Code Lyoko: New Youth_

_Matthew: Umm...I'm guessing you guys heard my yelling didn't you..._

_Gary: Yeah we did. We came to check on you mate. We're all a little worried about you._

_Natalie: We know that you've been working on the abilities for us, and we appreciate that, but you still have to remember that you have a life and friends out here and not in front of a computer screen._

_00000000_

_Aelita: I'm really sorry about Kiwi, but you have to admit, he lived a long life for a dog._

_Odd: *sniff* Yeah...I just miss him._

_Ulrich: Hey, we're taking a walk through town and we were wondering if you wanted to come. It might clear your head about Kiwi._

_Odd: Yeah, I'd like that. Thanks guys._

_00000000_

_Odd: You thinking what I'm thinking?_

_All: XANA!_

_Jeremy: I knew I was right to be worried. He hasn't attacked in a few weeks and now he's gone and possessed all the zoo animals._

_William: We better get to the factory and fast!_

_Jeremy: I agree. Are they still behind us?_

_Aelita: Only about half of the animals are behind us, but the rest of them are going somewhere else._

_Yumi: But where would they go?_

_Odd: Uh oh..._

_All: THE GANG!_

_00000000_

_Brandon: Well if it isn't the Yankee Matthew._

_Matthew: If I were you Brandon, I'd step away from me and my friends before I make you._

_Brandon: Oh, and is that a threat?_

_Matthew: Nope, it's a promise._

_00000000_

_Matthew: Mr. Belpois, what's going on?_

_Jeremy: Matthew, this is an emergency! XANA has possessed all of the animals in the zoo!_

_Matthew: We know, we just saw it on the NEWS. Where are you all?_

_Jeremy: We're on our way to the factory, but we may need you help. Get here as fast as you can!_

_00000000_

_Brandon: Alright, spit it out._

_Matthew: Well you see, those animals are being possessed by a computer virus called XANA and it's up to us to go to the old factory and stop him._

_Brandon: A evil computer virus possessing the animals? HA!_

_00000000_

_Brandon: Impossible..._

_Matthew: Now do you believe me?_

_Brandon: You know what? For once I do._

_00000000_

_Natalie: Matthew's in trouble! The animals are at Kadic!_

_Gary: Jonah and I will go and help._

_Jonah: You guys get to Lyoko and deactivate the tower fast!_

_Aelita: Be careful you two._

_Gary &amp; Jonah: We will._

* * *

**_Chapter 26: Attack of the Animals Part 2: To Lyoko_**

**Lyoko-Desert Sector**

Ulrich, Aelita, Natalie, Alexis, and Mariah were soon zooming through the dusty virtual Desert Sector in search of the activated tower. All of them were very concerned on the safety of Matthew. Natalie of course was the most worried.

Natalie: I hope Matthew's okay and I hope that Gary and Jonah will get there in time to help him.

Mariah: Don't forget Brandon, Carrie, and Casey. They're still in the rec. room with him.

Ulrich: But why would XANA want to possess the zoo animals?

Jeremy: Your guess is as good as mine Ulrich, but that doesn't matter now. What does matter is that you guys deactivate that tower and stop the possession.

Alexis: Well that shouldn't take very long, look there!

The warriors looked to where Alexis was pointing and saw the activated tower dead ahead of them.

Aelita: We found the tower Jeremy.

Jeremy: That's great Aelita, but unfortunately XANA has found you to. And by the looks of it, he's bust out the big guns.

Ulrich: I don't like the sound of that.

Ulrich was right to be worried as the warriors saw 4 Tigers as well as 3 of XANA's new Shielders.

Natalie: *groan* As if training with those Shielder horrors was bad enough. Now they're really gonna put up a fight.

Jeremy: You're gonna have to find a way to destroy them.

Mariah: We'll do our best, but it won't be easy.

* * *

**Kadic Academy-Recreation Room**

Back in the rec. room of Kadic, the XANA possessed animals were still trying to break inside. Carrie and Casey sat in a corner shivering like mad with fear. Brandon just stood there like a statue stunned at what was taking place. Matthew was trying to think of a plan on how they could escape but couldn't come up with anything at all. Just then, his cell phone rang. It was Gary.

Matthew: Gary?

_Gary: Matthew, me and Jonah are almost back at Kadic. We're gonna try and get you out of there._

Matthew: That's good to know, but how exactly do you plan on doing that? The animals are all blocking the door. You won't be able to get inside.

_Gary: Oh don't you worry mate, Jonah and I had already come up with a plan._

Matthew: Well I hope it's a good plan.

_Gary: It is. Jonah and I are gonna try to distract the animals away from the rec. room, giving you enough time to get yourself, Brandon, Carrie, and Casey out of there and over to the factory._

Matthew: What about you guys?

_Gary: We'll run over to the garden shed and try and hide there. Then we'll sneak our way back once the coast is clear._

Matthew: Well I hope it works. Good luck.

Matthew hung up the call and turned to Brandon.

Matthew: Brandon, listen to me. I know you and me don't get along very well but you just have to trust me on this ok?

Brandon: Alright.

Matthew: Gary and Jonah are on their way here right now. They're going to try and distract the animals away from here. If that works, we get out of here and get to somewhere safe.

Brandon: And what about Carrie and Casey? And where will Gary and Jonah go?

Matthew: We'll take the twins with us to somewhere safe. Gary and Jonah will try and hide from the animals in the garden shed and hopefully will join up with us later.

Brandon: Well...alright. For once, I'll trust you on this.

Matthew then went over to where Carrie and Casey were holding each other in the corner of the room. They both were crying with fear of being mauled by the animals.

Matthew: Listen you two, everything will be alright. We have a plan on how to get out of here, but we have to be fast ok?

Carrie: Well...ok.

Casey: If you say so.

Matthew helped the twins to their feet and guided them over to door. The animals were getting ready to break in. Outside of the rec. room, Gary and Jonah had come out of the bushes and were ready to put their plan into action.

Gary: Ready mate?

Jonah: As ready as I'll ever be.

Gary: GO!

Gary and Jonah ran out of the bushes and stood behind the possessed animals.

Gary: HEY YOU BIG HAIRY BEHEMOTHS!

The animals all turned around and saw Gary and Jonah taunting them.

Jonah: BET YA CAN'T CATCH US!

Gary and Jonah took off towards the garden shed with all the animals hot on their tail. Matthew saw them leave and slowly walked over towards the door. He carefully opened it up and took a good look outside. Nothing was there. He ran back inside and grabbed Carrie and Casey's hands.

Matthew: Alright guys, let's go! I know a place where we can be safe!

Matthew, Brandon and the twins all ran out of the rec. room and followed Matthew into the park and towards the sewer line.

* * *

**Lyoko-Desert Sector**

Meanwhile on Lyoko...

Jeremy: How are you doing guys?

Ulrich: Oh we're just having a good old time over here.

Jeremy: Really?

Ulrich: NO WE'RE NOT! THESE GUYS ARE TOUGH!

The warriors were having trouble trying to destroy the monsters. The Shielders had devirtualized Ulrich's OverBike as well as Alexis' OverCopter, and now they were forced to fight on foot. Things began slowly for the warriors, but after a few minutes, they were able to destroy two of the four Tigers, but haven't been able to get rid of the new Shielders. Aelita kept throwing her Energy Fields at one of the Tigers while Mariah kept firing her laser cannons at the other Tiger. She could see it was getting angry and she knew that it wouldn't be long before it roared, giving her the chance to hit the orb inside its mouth. She fired a few more rounds at the beast and finally the Tiger snapped. But instead of roaring into the heavens, it sprinted towards her and lunged at the last second. Mariah was too surprised by its actions to even have time to react. The Tigers swiped its massive claws at her and in one shot, devirtualized her instantly. It then gave a mighty roar at its victory.

Natalie: NO MARIAH!

While the Tiger was roaring, Natalie ran behind it and jumped up in the air. Drawing out one of her twin katanas, she jabbed the blade deep within the glowing orb of the Tiger. The Tiger clanked and groaned and fell on its side, exploding seconds later. Natalie came back down to her feet as her blade slide up beside her.

In the Scanner Room, Mariah slowly stepped, obviously quite frustrated.

Mariah: Well that was unexpected.

She walked back towards the elevator to join Jeremy at the controls. On Lyoko, Aelita kept firing her Energy Fields at the last of the Tigers hoping to get it to roar, but the Tiger just wouldn't do it. She was getting frustrated and didn't noticed that one of the new Shielders was aiming its laser right at her. However, Ulrich did see it.

Ulrich: AELITA! SUPER SPRINT!

Ulrich sprinted towards Aelita just as the Shielder fired its laser at her. Aelita turned and looked and saw the beam coming towards her. But before it could hit her, Ulrich jumped out in front of her and took the blow to his chest area.

Jeremy: Man that thing's got a powerful laser. You lost 80 lifepoints in one hit.

Aelita: ULRICH!

Aelita had enough. She summoned a massive Energy Field and fired it at the Tiger's skin, of course doing no damage, but the Tiger finally snapped. It gave a mighty roar at her. Aelita saw her chance and fired one last Energy Field at the orb inside the beast's mouth. The Energy Field hit the direct center of the orb and the Tiger exploded moments later. Aelita ran over to Ulrich to check on him.

Aelita: Ulrich, are you okay?

Ulrich: *groan* Man those things pack a punch.

Jeremy: I know what you mean Ulrich, but unfortunately, you still have to destroy them.

Ulrich: Then we may need some backup over here.

Jeremy: I'll see if I can get in contact with Matthew. In the meantime, you guys find some place to hide out for a bit.

So the warriors all ran away from the tower and hid behind a few big jagged rocks. In the lab, Jeremy dialed Matthew's number just as Mariah left the elevator and joined him.

Mariah: How are things on Lyoko sir?

Jeremy: Not too good right now. Ulrich is down to 20 lifepoints. Alexis still has 90, and Natalie and Aelita still have all of theirs. But at this rate, they won't last. I'm getting ready to call up for some backup.

* * *

**Sewer Lines towards Factory**

Meanwhile, Matthew was leading Brandon, Carrie, and Casey towards the factory. He knew that they would at least be safe there from the animals...that is, for the time being.

Carrie: Uhh...Matt? Can you tell us where we're going again?

Matthew: We're heading to the abandoned factory on the river.

Casey: But why do we have to go through the sewers?

Matthew: It's a secret passage that leads from the park at Kadic to the factory.

Brandon: How exactly do you know about this?

Matthew: I'll explain all that later. Right now, we need to get to the factory. That's the place where we'll be safe from the animals for now.

Just then, Matthew's cell phone rang. It was Jeremy.

Matthew: What's wrong Mr. Belpois?

_Jeremy: Things aren't going so well on Lyoko. Mariah just got devirtualized by the Shielders and Ulrich, Aelita, Natalie, and Alexis aren't going to last much longer._

Matthew: We're in the sewers right now and we can see the ladder leading towards the bridge.

_Jeremy: That's great and...wait...did you say we?_

Matthew: Yes sir. "We" as in Brandon, Carrie and Casey are with me.

_Jeremy: Why are they with you?_

Matthew: They were in the rec. room with me when the animals attacked. I had to get them to safety as well.

_Jeremy: Well ok, I'll look after them while you get to Lyoko._

Matthew: Alright sir. Have the animals invaded the factory yet? And what about Gary and Jonah?

_Jeremy: For now, the animals haven't shown up yet, and I'm gonna try to contact Gary and Jonah after I hang up with you._

Matthew: Alright sir, I'll see you there.

Matthew hung up his phone and turned to the three students.

Matthew: Follow me up this ladder. We're almost there.

So Matthew climbed up the ladder leading out of the sewers and the other three followed him. They soon stepped back outside now on the bridge leading to factory. Matthew looked at the entrance of the old building and saw Yumi, Odd, and William standing guard.

Matthew: Come on guys.

Matthew lead them towards the entrance. Yumi saw them coming.

Yumi: Well I'm glad that you four are alright.

Matthew: We're fine, but I'm not sure about Gary and Jonah though. Have the animals come by here yet?

Odd: Not yet, but they might be soon.

William: Get to Lyoko fast. I'm sure the others will be happy to see some more help.

Matthew: I'm on it. Come on guys, follow me.

Brandon: Where are we going now?

Matthew: You'll see.

Matthew lead the three students over towards the elevator. He pressed the down button and descended to the lab.

* * *

**Kadic Academy-Garden Shed**

Back at Kadic, the animals were searching for Gary and Jonah. The two friends had managed to get away from them and hide in the Garden Shed, but the animals didn't know that. They continued to search around the area, until they ran off in another direction. In the shed, two pairs of eyes looked out the window.

Gary: I think they're gone mate.

Jonah: Yeah, let's hurry to the factory. The others may need us.

Gary: Good idea. Let's go.

Slowly and carefully, Gary opened the door and stepped out of the shed with Jonah following him close behind. But just before they could run for the sewers...

*RING RING RING*

The animals heard the loud ringtone of Jonah's cell phone. Jonah panicked as he tried to turn it off, but he couldn't in time. The animals turned around and ran back to the shed, to see Gary and Jonah standing out in the open.

Gary: Of all the times your phone has to ring, why did it have to be then?!

Jonah: I'm sorry! How was I supposed to know that it was gonna ring right then and there?!

The XANA possessed lion roared loudly at them and glared at them. XANA's symbol appeared in its eyes as it got ready to attack.

Jonah: Uhh...I suggest we run for it...

Gary: Good plan mate...RUN!

Gary and Jonah took off into the park, with the animals hot on their trail. Jonah finally answered the call.

Jonah: Hello?

_Jeremy: Jonah its me. How are things?_

Jonah: You had to call at the wrong time Mr. Belpois. We were just about to be in the clear until my phone went off. Now, me and Gary are running for our lives away from the animals. I don't think we're gonna make it to Lyoko.

_Jeremy: Ok, Matthew should be here any minute now. I'll send him in replace of you two. Try to hold off the animals as best as you can._

Jonah: We'll do our best.

Jonah hung up the call and turned to Gary.

Jonah: We need weapons.

Gary: There were some stuff in the Garden Shed that we could use.

Jonah: Ok, let's split up and try to lose these animals. We'll meet back at the Garden Shed.

Gary: Got'cha. SPLIT!

Gary and Jonah ran off in two different directions, with half of the animals following each of them.

* * *

**Computer Lab**

Over at the factory, the elevator doors opened up revealing Matthew, Brandon, and the twins. They gasped at the sight of the supercomputer.

Carrie &amp; Casey: Wooooooow...

Brandon: So this was you and your friends big secret.

Jeremy looked up from the screen, relieved to see Matthew.

Jeremy: Thank goodness you're here. Get to the scanner room quickly. Brandon, Carrie, and Casey, you three stay with me.

Matthew then descended down to the scanner room and prepared to be virtualized.

Matthew: I'm ready sir.

Jeremy: Ok here we go. Transfer Matthew. Scanner Matthew. Virtualization.

* * *

**Lyoko-Desert Sector**

Matthew soon dropped down from above and landed in the Desert Sector.

Jeremy: Here's your vehicle. The activated tower is North Northeast from your position. The others are already there but they're in hiding right now. They're not gonna last long by the looks of it, so get moving.

Matthew: Sir! Yes sir!

Matthew hopped in his OverRacer and sped away towards the tower.

* * *

**As I promised you guys a week ago, I would update the story. And here it is. Hope you all enjoyed and don't forget to leave a review telling me what you think. Be sure to favorite and follow the story if you like it very much.**

**P.S. I'm not going to accept ANY and I mean ANY ideas for the story for a while. I already have plenty of ideas for the story and I have full intention of putting them all in.**

**That's all I have to say. And as always, FakeACU83 OUT!**


	27. Attack of the Animals Part 3: Close Call

_Previously on Code Lyoko: New Youth_

_Natalie: I hope Matthew's okay and I hope that Gary and Jonah will get there in time to help him._

_Mariah: Don't forget Brandon, Carrie, and Casey. They're still in the rec. room with him._

_Ulrich: But why would XANA want to possess the zoo animals?_

_Jeremy: Your guess is as good as mine Ulrich, but that doesn't matter now. What does matter is that you guys deactivate that tower and stop the possession._

_00000000_

_Matthew: Brandon, listen to me. I know you and me don't get along very well but you just have to trust me on this ok?_

_Brandon: Alright._

_Matthew: Gary and Jonah are on their way here right now. They're going to try and distract the animals away from here. If that works, we get out of here and get to somewhere safe._

_Brandon: Well...alright. For once, I'll trust you on this._

_00000000_

_Aelita: Ulrich, are you okay?_

_Ulrich: *groan* Man those things pack a punch._

_Jeremy: I know what you mean Ulrich, but unfortunately, you still have to destroy them._

_Ulrich: Then we may need some backup over here._

_Jeremy: I'll see if I can get in contact with Matthew. In the meantime, you guys find some place to hide out for a bit._

_00000000_

_Matthew: What's wrong Mr. Belpois?_

_Jeremy: Things aren't going so well on Lyoko. Mariah just got devirtualized by the Shielders and Ulrich, Aelita, Natalie, and Alexis aren't going to last much longer._

_Matthew: We're in the sewers right now and we can see the ladder leading towards the bridge._

_Jeremy: That's great and...wait...did you say we?_

_Matthew: Yes sir. "We" as in Brandon, Carrie and Casey are with me._

_Jeremy: Why are they with you?_

_Matthew: They were in the rec. room with me when the animals attacked. I had to get them to safety as well._

_Jeremy: Well ok, I'll look after them while you get to Lyoko._

_00000000_

_Jeremy: Jonah its me. How are things?_

_Jonah: You had to call at the wrong time Mr. Belpois. We were just about to be in the clear until my phone went off. Now, me and Gary are running for our lives away from the animals. I don't think we're gonna make it to Lyoko._

_Jeremy: Ok, Matthew should be here any minute now. I'll send him in replace of you two. Try to hold off the animals as best as you can._

_Jonah: We'll do our best._

_00000000_

_Matthew: I'm ready sir._

_Jeremy: Ok here we go. Transfer Matthew. Scanner Matthew. Virtualization._

_00000000_

_Jeremy: The activated tower is North Northeast from your position. The others are already there but they're in hiding right now. They're not gonna last long by the looks of it, so get moving._

_Matthew: Sir! Yes sir!_

* * *

**_Chapter 27: Attack of the Animals Part 3: Close Call_**

**Lyoko-Desert Sector**

Matthew sped away through the Desert Sector in search for the other warriors. He knew that he had to be fast. Otherwise, Gary and Jonah would become the animals next meal and the rest of the animals would invade the factory and try to destroy the supercomputer and Lyoko along with it.

Matthew: Am I getting closer to the tower Mr. Belpois?

Jeremy: You should see it ahead in a few seconds.

Matthew looked ahead of him and could faintly see the red glowing tower in front of him.

Matthew: It's all good sir. I can see it.

Jeremy: Great, I'll tell the others. In the meantime, get ready for a little battle with the new Shielders.

Matthew: Oh great, not those things again. Oh well, at least I know how to destroy them.

Matthew activated flight mode on his OverRacer and took off to the skies.

Jeremy: Ulrich, Aelita, can you hear me?

Aelita: Loud and clear Jeremy.

Ulrich: Please tell me you have some good news for us, because we could really use some right now.

Jeremy: Well lucky for you Ulrich, I do have good news. Backup is on the way.

Ulrich: That's great. Who's coming?

Jeremy: Look above you. Surprise!

Matthew: BANZAI! WOO-HOO!

The warriors looked up and saw Matthew flying past them in his OverRacer firing multiple lasers from his vehicle's cannons at the Shielders force fields. Thanks to the analysis that his goggles gave him, he knew that the force fields had 50 lifepoints before they were destroyed. He fired more and more lasers at the three Shielders and eventually knocked out all three of their shields.

Alexis: Your boyfriend's gone crazy Natalie.

Natalie: Heh yeah, but at least he got their shields knocked out.

Matthew turned around and flew back over the warriors yelling down to them.

Matthew: Get going! Their shields regenerate after 5 minutes. Hurry and destroy the layer of glass that's on their backs! That's where XANA's Eye is!

Aelita: At least we know what to do now.

Ulrich: Then let's not waste time. SUPER SPRINT!

Ulrich sprinted his way to one of the three Shielders with his twin blades in hand.

Ulrich: TRIPLICATE!

Ulrich triplicated himself as he got closer to the new monster. The Shielder fired multiple rounds out of its laser cannons, but was unable to hit any of the three Ulrichs. At the very last second, the three clones jumped up in the air and landed behind the Shielder. At the same exact time, the three Ulrichs made one big slice at the glass and weakened it tremendously, but didn't break it. The Shielder turned around and fired two shots at the two phony Ulrichs, devirtualizing them. It then aimed at the real Ulrich.

Ulrich: AELITA NOW!

Aelita: ENERGY FIELD!

With the Shielder turned around facing away from Aelita, she took the chance to fire an Energy Field at its back. The ball of energy collided with the glass and shattered it to pieces, now revealing the Eye of XANA. The Shielder groaned as the glass broke around it. Ulrich used this as an opportunity to attack. He jumped up and landed on top of the Shielder's head with his blades held above his head.

Ulrich: IMPACT!

With one last effort, Ulrich jabbed his blades deep within the Eye of XANA and quickly jumped off the Shielder's head. The Shielder groaned in pain and went limp. It then exploded a second later.

Ulrich: Yes! My first Shielder!

Jeremy: Nice job Ulrich. Just two more to go.

* * *

**Kadic Academy-Garden Shed**

Jonah: *whispering* Can you see them?

Gary: *whispering* No sign of them mate. Coast is clear.

Gary and Jonah were hiding from the animals in the bushes. They were able to make it back to the Garden Shed area and were now less than 50 feet from it.

Gary: Ok now let's grab those weapons and make it quick.

Jonah: Got'cha.

Gary and Jonah quickly left their hiding place and ran as fast as they could towards the shed. But just as they were about 15 feet from the door, the leading XANA possessed lion leaped out from behind the shed and blocked their path. It then gave a mighty roar and the rest of the possessed zoo animals came out from various hiding places and surrounded the two young warriors.

Gary: Well that didn't work.

Jonah: You don't say!

The animals glared at the two friends, XANA's eye appearing in each and every one of them. Gary and Jonah tried to put on brave faces, but deep down, they were a nervous wreck. Just then...

*RING RING RING*

Jonah: Mr. Belpois.

_Jeremy: Jonah, is everything ok over there?_

Jonah: Things can't get much worse. The animals have us surrounded and we don't have anything to defend ourselves. What's taking so long for that tower?

_Jeremy: It may be a few more minutes. These Shielder monsters are really putting up a good fight. Just hang in there if you can._

Jonah: No promises.

Jonah hung up his phone and turned to Gary.

Jonah: Got any other ideas?

Gary: Hand-to-hand combat?

Jonah: Like we have a choice at this point.

Gary and Jonah each took a fighting stance and prepared for battle.

* * *

**Abandoned Factory-Computer Lab**

Back at the factory...

Jeremy: Guys, you're going to have to move it. Gary and Jonah are surrounded by the animals and don't have anything to defend themselves.

Alexis: We're doing our best Mr. Belpois. It's no picnic out here!

Alexis and Natalie were tag teaming the second of the three Shielders. The Shielder had it's cannons aiming at Natalie, firing laser after laser at her. Natalie blocked as many shots as she could with her twin katanas, but then took a massive shot in here stomach area. She flew back and skidded on the sandy ground before coming to a stop.

Natalie: Yep...that hurt.

Jeremy: You're down to just 20 lifepoints Natalie.

Natalie: Feels like I lost more than that.

The Shielder slowly rolled up to her as Natalie got back on her feet. She took her blades and prepared for another round of blocking lasers when...

Alexis: TAKE THIS!

Alexis ran up behind the Shielder and tossed all six of her throwable daggers at the glass reinforced back. Each dagger that hit did a considerable amount of damage and was now very easy to break. Alexis then brought out her short sword gave one mighty slice at the glass. That did the trick. The glass shattered on impact and now revealed the Eye of XANA. With the glass gone, Alexis used her short sword one more time, stabbing it deep within the eye before pulling out just before the Shielder exploded.

Alexis: Two down, one to go.

Alexis retrieved her six daggers as Natalie walked up to her.

Natalie: Thanks Alexis. You really saved me there.

Alexis: Don't sweat it. That was friends are...AHH!

Natalie: ALEXIS NO!

Natalie looked in front of her and saw that the last of the Shielders had devirtualized Alexis and now had its guns pointed at her. With one last shot, the Shielder fired at her and hit her in her chest area, ultimately devirtualizing her. Matthew, Ulrich, and Aelita saw the whole thing.

Matthew: HEY! NOBODY DOES THAT TO MY FRIENDS!

Matthew, who was still flying in his OverRacer, fired his laser cannons at the Shielder, as the monster fired back at him. The Shielder wasn't able to hit him as Matthew flew over and past it. In the scanner room, Natalie and Alexis stepped out, upset at the circumstances that just played out.

Alexis: Ok, I didn't see that coming.

Natalie: I don't think either of us did. Come on, let's head back up.

Natalie and Alexis walked towards the elevator and made their way up to the computer lab where Jeremy was waiting for them.

Jeremy: Welcome back to Earth ladies.

Just then, Jeremy received a phone call. It was from William.

_Jeremy: William, what's wrong._

William: Bad news Jeremy. The animals are here.

William could see the other half of the animals that escaped from the zoo running down the street towards the bridge leading to factory.

_Jeremy: The way is almost clear for Aelita to enter the tower. Just try and hold them off as best as you, Odd, and Yumi can._

William: We'll try.

William hung up the call and turned to face Odd and Yumi.

William: Aelita should be in the tower soon. For now, we'll have to try and hold off the animals.

Odd: Alright! Finally some action!

Yumi: Be careful Odd. Those animals could rip you to shreds in a second in you're not careful.

Odd: Nothing can stop Odd the Magnificent!

William: _(to himself) There he goes again with his bragging._

The three friends each took their fighting stances and prepared for a rough battle. There were roughly about 20-30 zoo animals, give or take, all ranging in different sizes and strength. The only problem was, with XANA possessing them, it gave them more unbelievable strength than anyone could imagine. The warriors knew this of course, but had no other options to go by.

Yumi: Quick, slide down the ropes! We'll have a better chance at fighting them off in there than here on the bridge.

The warriors quickly slid down the ropes and down onto the elevator floor. A few seconds later, the animals leaped off the floor above them and landed around the warriors, surrounding them from all angles.

Odd: I take back what I said earlier. This might not go very well for us.

William: Now you're finally starting to think straight.

Yumi: Cool it you two. We got animals do deal with.

The animals all glared at the three warriors. XANA's symbol appeared in each of their eyes. The leading lion, which was the one that the first lion attacked and possessed, made the first move. It ran forward and lunged at the warriors, but the three were able to jump out of the way just in time. They skidded to a stop along the concert floor. They then saw a few long metal rods sitting in a stack. The all thought of the same thing as they each grabbed two metal rods.

Odd: This ought to make things a little easier.

The leading lion turned around a lunged at them again. This time though, William retaliated. He swung his two rods at the lion, hitting the beast on the back as well as its head. The lion groaned as it tripped and fell on its side, unconscious for the moment. The rest of the animals all took their turns at trying to take down the warriors. A few of them got knocked out as well, but the rest of them were able to dodge their blows. The warriors panted for breath. They were getting tired and their strength was weakening. The animals saw this and used this as an opportunity. One of the XANA possessed zebras ran towards Odd. Odd never saw it coming as the zebra plowed into him, sending him flying at least 30 feet back and colliding with one of the steel support beams, knocking him out instantly.

Yumi &amp; William: ODD!

Just then, the leading lion started to regain consciousness. It slowly got to its feet and turned around to face Yumi and William. It then gathered its strength back and sprinted towards the two warriors. The warriors saw the lion coming and prepared to swing their metal rods at it, but never got the chance. The lion headbutted Yumi and William both in the stomach and sent them flying backwards, landing on the concrete floor. They were both knocked out as well as the lion and the rest of the animals slowly walked their way over towards the three warriors.

Back over at Kadic, things were going south for Gary and Jonah. With no weapons in their hands, they weren't able to defend themselves. They tried using their hands, but that wasn't working at all. They were tired. They had scratches and bruises all over them, just from trying to face them.

Gary: Are...are we gonna make it mate?

Jonah: I don't know Gary...I really don't know.

The animals could see that they were exhausted and use this as an opportunity to finally finish them off. With one final blow, the leading lion there plowed straight into the young warriors sending them back at least 20 feet against the Garden Shed building. They too were knocked out from the impact as the animals began to surround them.

Over in the computer lab, Jeremy, Natalie, Alexis, Mariah, Brandon, and the twins all gasped in horror as they watched what happened to Yumi, William, and Odd on one of the factory's security camera screens. Jeremy was urgent.

Jeremy: Matthew, Ulrich, Aelita, hurry up please! The animals have overpowered Yumi, William and Odd! They'll become their next meal if you don't deactivate that tower now!

Ulrich: We're trying Jeremy. We're really trying!

Matthew continued to fly around in his OverRacer firing more and more lasers at the Shielder, but wasn't able to hit the glass back. Aelita was firing an array of Energy Fields at the beast, but was unable to hit it. Ulrich couldn't do much because of his low amount of lifepoints that he had. Just then, he had an idea.

Ulrich: Yes, that could actually work. SUPER SPRINT!

Ulrich ran out of his hiding place from behind one of the many large jagged rocks and sprinted towards the Shielder, who was still firing at Matthew and dodging Aelita's Energy Fields.

Jeremy: ULRICH, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! YOU ONLY HAVE 20 LIFEPOINTS LEFT!

Ulrich: Trust me on this one Jeremy! I have an idea. HEY SHIELDER! YOU HAVEN'T FORGOTTEN ME HAVE YOU?!

The Shielder turned its attention away from Matthew and Aelita and faced Ulrich, who was now running up towards it. The aimed its cannons at him and began to fire. Ulrich stopped running and began blocking each of it shots.

Aelita: What is he doing?

Matthew saw what Ulrich was doing.

Matthew: Man has Coach Ulrich lost it or what?

It was at that moment that Matthew figured out something. With the Shielder busy attacking Ulrich, he saw that it was now facing away from him and Aelita. Aelita noticed it to, and also figured out what Ulrich was planning. She looked up and saw Matthew coming in hot and lining up his laser cannons with the Shielder's back. She then summoned a massive Energy Field in her hands. Matthew lined his targeter up with the Shielder and at that moment...

Matthew: FIRE!

Matthew fired multiple lasers at the Shielder's back as Aelita fired her large Energy Field at its back as well. The Shielder never saw it coming, but Ulrich did. He smirked with triumph as his plan had worked. The lasers and the Energy Field collided with the glass and shattered it to pieces. The Shielder groaned as it felt the glass break off of its back. Ulrich then ran his way behind it and took out his blades one last time.

Ulrich: IMPACT!

With one last effort, he stabbed his twin blades in the Eye of XANA. The Shielder groaned and went limp, exploding moments later. Matthew landed beside Ulrich and Aelita ran up to him.

Aelita: Well done Ulrich!

Matthew: I thought you really lost it there for a second Coach.

Jeremy: Nice job Ulrich! Now Aelita, let's finish off that tower.

Aelita took off towards the tower and went inside. Back on Earth, the animals in the factory and at Kadic were getting ready to maul Yumi, Odd, William, Gary, and Jonah. It looked as if their fate was sealed, but it was not to be. Aelita placed her hand on the interface and enter Code: Lyoko.

Aelita: Tower deactivated.

The animals suddenly stopped what they were doing. The XANA symbol in their eyes disappeared and returned to normal color. They all went limp and fell to their sides unconscious. It was at that moment Yumi, William, and Odd began to wake up. Groaning in pain, they saw the animals laying all around them. They knew instantly what happened.

William: We're saved. And just in time to.

At Kadic, Gary and Jonah woke up from their state of unconsciousness and noticed the animals laying all around them also.

Jonah: Boy I'm glad that's over.

Gary: That sure was a close call.

* * *

**Computer Lab**

A few minutes later, Ulrich, Aelita, and Matthew stepped out of the elevator and joined Jeremy, Natalie, Alexis, Mariah, Brandon, and the twins at the computer. Natalie ran towards Matthew and gave him a huge hug and kiss.

Natalie: I was so worried about you.

Matthew: Well you don't need to worry anymore. I'm safe and so is everyone else.

None of them seem to notice the growing jealousy on Brandon's face.

Brandon: I knew that you guys were hiding something.

Matthew and Natalie released each other from their embraced and turned to face Brandon. Matthew still remembered his little plan from earlier.

Matthew: It would appear so. And now the secrets out. But I have one more surprise for you Brandon.

He walked over to the computer chair.

Matthew: If I may Mr. Belpois.

Jeremy: By all means.

Jeremy stood up from the chair as Matthew took his place and began typing away at the keyboard. Carrie and Casey walked over to Natalie while all this was going on.

Carrie: Mind if we ask you a few questions?

Casey: This is going to be The Kadic News next big hit.

Natalie: Sorry you two, but that won't be necessary.

The twins were confused.

Carrie &amp; Casey: Why not?

Matthew: Because in about 10 seconds, you all aren't going to remember anything at all about this.

Brandon: What the heck are you talking about Stephenson?

Matthew: *smirking* Surprise Brandon. Return to the past now!

The blinding white light shot out of the HoloMap generator and consumed everything before fading away moments later.

* * *

**Kadic Academy-Recreation Room**

**Sunday Afternoon**

Gary: So that's why you told Brandon about the factory.

Jonah: You told him about it just to distract him, knowing that he wouldn't remember anything after the return to the past.

Matthew: Yep, that's right.

Gary: I gotta say mate, you're very clever you are.

Natalie: He sure is. And that's one reason why I love him.

Natalie kissed Matthew on the cheek making Matthew blush like mad.

Jonah: It's a shame that you couldn't make us go a little further back in time. I would have loved a rematch against Alexis in our Foosball tournament.

Alexis just laughed.

Alexis: Aww, poor little Jonah.

Jonah in turn just sulked.

Matthew: Anyway Natalie, let's restart our match.

Natalie: You're on!

As they replayed their Foosball match, they failed to notice Brandon walking towards the rec. room. But something was different this time. Just before he opened to door to the rec. room, he suddenly had flashbacks.

* * *

_**Brandon's Flashbacks**_

_Zoo Keeper: You all might find this crazy, but I saw that the eyes were a bright red color and they had a strange symbol in the middle of their eyes, almost like they were possessed or something._

_All: XANA._

_Brandon: What are you morons talking about? Who is this XANA?_

_00000000_

_Brandon: Alright, spit it out._

_Matthew: Well you see, those animals are being possessed by a computer virus called XANA and its up to us to go to the old factory and stop him._

_Brandon: A evil computer virus possessing the animals? HA!_

_00000000_

_Matthew: Gary and Jonah are on their way here right now. They're going to try and distract the animals away from here. If that works, we get out of here and get to somewhere safe._

_Brandon: Well...alright. For once, I'll trust you on this._

_00000000_

_Brandon: I knew that you guys were hiding something._

_Matthew: It would appear so. And now the secrets out. But I have one more surprise for you Brandon. Return to the past now!_

* * *

Brandon held his head in pain as the flashbacks continued to flood his brain. He was extremely confused as to why he was having them.

Brandon: _(to himself) What is happening to me? Those things haven't happened before...have they?_

Instead of Brandon going into the rec. room like last time, he walked back to his room to have a lie down on his bed.

* * *

**Lyoko-Unknown Location**

In the far away world in the Digital Sea, the misty black figure stared at the tower interface. A faint red aura was pulsing around him, signifying his anger.

Figure: Those wretched warriors! How could they have possibly defeated my attack this time?! That is the last time I will hold back. Next time, I will hit them with everything I've got.

He looked down at his feet. Unlike last time, when he was just a fully misty figure, this time he now had red with black trimming metal armored boots that now replaced his previous misty feet. He chuckled in his demonic tone.

Figure: Slowly but surely, my true form is being programmed. And once it's complete, I will unleash all of my power on those warriors and destroy them all. Then, I will take what is rightfully mine. I will take my rightful place as ruler of the world!

He cackled evilly as he closed the interfaced and faded away.

* * *

**Mysteries, mysteries, and more mysteries that have yet to be solved. Why is Brandon having these flashbacks? Who is this misty being? And what does he have in store for our heroes? Stay tuned to find out on Code Lyoko: New Youth.**

**Hope that you all enjoyed this recent 3-part series. This final part of it took the longest to write. Over 4,200 words for this last chapter. By far, the longest chapter in this story to date. My hands hurt now, but that's the life of an author. Anyway, hope you all enjoyed. And just as always, FakeACU83 OUT!**


	28. The Finishing Touches

_**Chapter 28: The Finishing Touches**_

**A Couple Weeks Later**

**Kadic Academy-Matthew's Room**

**11:45 PM Thursday Night-December**

Matthew: Ok...come on baby...I have a good feeling about you this time. I'm sure this time it's gonna work.

Matthew tapped away at his laptop's keyboard. He had been trying to work on programming his friend's new abilities on Lyoko, but with XANA always attacking, he hasn't found the time to do it. So over the last few nights, he's stayed up later than he should have busily typing away at various programs and commands needed to create the new abilities. However, the last few times he's tried to complete the abilities and put them into his friend's Lyoko characters, his program would freeze up and not respond, and crash a few moments later. This of course frustrated Matthew extremely because every time he would think he would get it, something would always seem to prevent him from accomplishing his tasks. But tonight, Matthew had a good feeling about it. He had finally been able to get the basic structure of the new abilities programmed, and now he was about to attempt, yet again, to applying the abilities to his friend's Lyoko forms.

Matthew: Ok...one final check to make sure everything is in place...and...ENTER!

Matthew pressed the ENTER key and prayed that he did it right. Then, it happened again. His laptop began to freeze up.

Matthew: What...no no no...come on!

He tried to minimize the screen, but nothing happened. A few seconds later, his laptop cut off completely, leaving behind a very frustrated, aggravated, and depressed Matthew.

Matthew: NO! NOT AGAIN!

Matthew slammed his fist on his desk in anger. Outside in the hallway, Ulrich was doing his regular patrol through the dorms to make sure that everyone was in their beds and asleep. He then heard the loud bang coming from Matthew's room and grew curious. He knocked on the door making Matthew jump at least 3 feet in the air. He forgot that Ulrich patrols the hallways at night and his loud fist-bang must have gotten his attention. Ulrich opened the door.

Ulrich: What's all that racket in here?

Matthew: Uhh...sorry Coach Ulrich...that was me.

Ulrich: I can tell. You don't look too happy. Something the matter?

Matthew: N...no sir...just a little frustrated with the amount of homework I have right now.

Ulrich: Well no matter, it's time you get to bed. You look like you could use a goodnight sleep.

Matthew knew he was right. He gave out a loud yawn as he turned off his laptop and hobbled over to his bed. Ulrich closed the door and continued his patrol of the hallways. Matthew laid in his bed staring at the ceiling. He couldn't sleep. He kept thinking about the abilities and how he wasn't able to get it right.

Matthew: _(to himself) Am I even capable of doing something like this? Am I even good enough?_

He replayed the thoughts in his head for a few more minutes, until at last, he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

**6:30 AM The Next Morning**

*BEEP BEEP BEEP*

Matthew: *groan* Is it morning already?

Matthew grumpily rolled over and slapped his alarm clock off and slowly rose up out of his bed. He was exhausted. He couldn't get much sleep. Not only was he frustrated again at the program, but he was also contemplating whether he was even capable of doing such a large task. With the thoughts still running through his brain, he got out bed and grabbed his clothes and shower supplies and headed for the washrooms. He was hoping that the hot water would at least try to wake him up, but was disappointed to find out that it didn't as he dozed off for a moment while standing in the shower. He groaned in frustration.

Matthew: This is gonna be a long day...

After his shower, he put on his clothes, brushed his teeth, and went back to his room to gather his laptop and school supplies for the day before heading for breakfast. In the cafeteria, the gang was talking about the holidays.

Gary: Man, I can't wait for Christmas Break. 2 whole weeks of rest and relaxation.

Mariah: Don't forget about spending time with your family to.

Gary: I haven't forgotten about that.

Jonah: Anyway guys, what do all plan on doing during Christmas Break.

Alexis: My family and I are gonna visit my grandparents in Paris for a week before heading back to our house for Christmas Day. My sister is also gonna come and stay with us for Christmas.

Gary: My folks and I are gonna go skiing in the mountains for a few days. Then we're gonna try and video call our relatives in Australia.

Natalie: My family doesn't do much at Christmas, but we sometimes help out at our church which holds its annual Christmas Eve service.

Mariah: My family is also gonna visit my grandparents over in London, which is where we're going to spend the holidays.

Jonah: My folks don't do much either. We just stay home and have quality family time.

Gary: What about you Matt? What do you have planned?

Matthew didn't reply.

Gary: Uhh...Matt?

Gary and the gang looked over to see Matthew holding his head up in his hand practically half-asleep. Natalie, who was sitting beside him, shook him on the shoulder a bit to wake him up.

Natalie: Matthew...

Matthew: Hmm...what?

Natalie: Are you okay? You haven't said a single word to us since you got here and now you look like your about to fall asleep on the floor.

Matthew: Hmmm...sorry Natalie. I was up late trying to program your new abilities.

The gang fell silent.

Mariah: So you've been depriving yourself from sleep just to worry about our abilities on Lyoko?

Matthew: Not a good idea, I know. But I just feel like I'm getting so close to completing it. But every time I think I got it, my laptop freezes up and crashes. It's been doing that ever since the new Shielders first appeared.

Jonah: Well you can't just cut back on much needed sleep.

Gary: He's right mate. If you keep this up, you'll be sleeping through everything.

Natalie: You need to try and get yourself more sleep at night and not sitting in front of your laptop burning your eyes out.

Matthew finally admitted defeat.

Matthew: Alright, I'll try to get some rest tonight.

Natalie: Thank you.

Alexis: Any update on how the abilities are coming?

Matthew: I haven't made much progress due to the fact that my laptop keeps crashing. I just don't get it. I have some idea on what I'm doing, but each time it backfires. I don't know if I'm even capable of doing something like this. GAH, I wish I had the brains of Mr. Belpois, because if I did I'd...

Matthew didn't finish what he was saying as an idea hit his brain.

Matthew: Wait a minute...THAT'S IT!

The gang looked at him confused.

All: What's it?

But before they could get an answer, Matthew got up from his seat, grabbed his laptop bag and raced out of the cafeteria. The gang looked at each confused by his sudden actions.

Gary: I think your boyfriend's lost it a bit Natalie.

Natalie: Not funny Gary. But I do wonder what's gotten into him.

Matthew raced through the hallways towards Jeremy's classroom. He was excited.

Matthew: I can't believe I didn't think of this before. If I can't seem to do it, maybe Mr. Belpois can help me. He knows about Lyoko more than I do, so he's sure to help me out.

Matthew sprinted his way down the hallways feeling more confident than he did last night. He then turned left down another set of hallways that led towards Jeremy's classroom. But just as he turned the corner...

*CRASH*

Matthew: *groan*...That hurt...

Matthew was going so fast that he didn't see another student walking towards the same corner as him, before it was too late. As he turned the corner, he ran straight into the other student knocking both of them down to the floor. Matthew held his head in pain as he slowly stood to his feet.

Matthew: I'm really sorry about that. I didn't know...

Matthew looked up and froze as he saw who he had run into. It was Brandon.

Brandon: Dang it Stephenson! Why don't you watch where you're going next time!

Matthew: I know I did say I was sorry because I thought it was someone else I ran into. But now that I see it was you, I don't feel sorry. Now get out of my way.

Matthew gathered up his stuff and shoved Brandon aside as he continued on to Jeremy's classroom. Brandon was speechless. He was about to blow up at Matthew when suddenly, the flashbacks that he had a couple weeks ago came storming back into his brain. It was the exact same flashbacks as last time. And like last time, Brandon had no idea why he was getting them.

Brandon: *groan* Why are these visions coming back? They never happened, I'm sure of it. Ugh...I need some medicine. Maybe the nurse has some aspirin or some headache pills.

Brandon, who continued to hold his head in pain, walked slowly away to the nurse's office.

* * *

**7:50 AM-Computer Science Classroom**

Jeremy sat at his teacher's desk typing away at his keyboard. He was finishing up putting together the lesson he had planned for his class that day. It involved a more advanced level of programming various things. He was also getting ready to put together a test that he would give his students next week. Just then, Matthew came rushing through the door gasping for breath. Jeremy was surprised to see him.

Jeremy: Matthew? What are you doing here? I know you're in my class, but class doesn't start for another 10 minutes.

Matthew: I need your help Mr. Belpois. It involves Lyoko.

Jeremy turned away from his computer and shut the classroom door.

Jeremy: What about Lyoko?

Matthew: I guess I haven't told you about it, so I'll start from the beginning. When we were in our tag team training on Lyoko, we found out that XANA created the Shielders...

Jeremy: That I already know...

Matthew: I'm not finished. It occurred to me that XANA had upped his game. First he sent us the Tigers during our first training session and now he sent us the Shielders. I then realized that if he is going to continue sending us new monsters, then my friends are going to need a, what I call, "Lyoko Upgrade."

This got Jeremy intrigued.

Jeremy: What kind of upgrade?

Matthew: You know how your friends have all these awesome abilities on Lyoko. Like Coach Ulrich having super speed, Miss Ishiyama having telekinesis, and Mrs. Belpois with her creativity. Well I figured since I have my Lightning and Shockwave abilities, I figured that my friends would need some abilities of their own.

Jeremy: Very good idea, but how are you going to be able to do that?

Matthew: I told them that I would use the knowledge I learned here and try to program the abilities myself. That's where the problem is. Over the last couple of weeks, I haven't been able to do that. Every time I think I have it down, my laptop freezes up and crashes and I don't know why. So I was hoping that you could help me.

Jeremy pondered at the idea and then smiled.

Jeremy: I'd be happy to help you.

Matthew: Really? You mean it?

Jeremy: Absolutely. Now let's see what you have so far.

So Matthew took out his laptop and showed him the little progress made on the abilities.

Jeremy: Hmm...I think I may have a solution.

Matthew: What would that be?

Jeremy went to his desk drawer and pulled out a pad of sticky-notes and a pen. He then wrote something on the note, pulled it off, and handed it to Matthew.

Matthew: What's this?

Jeremy: The address to my house.

Matthew: Why are you giving me this?

Jeremy: Because your laptop simply can't handle the amount of work that you're putting into the program. You need more powerful equipment and I have just what you need over at my house. We'll program the abilities on my computer, burn it on a CD, then program it into the supercomputer. Once all that is done, PRESTO the abilities will be ready.

Matthew stared at Jeremy dumbfounded.

Matthew: All this time my laptop wasn't able to handle the work? Man I feel stupid not being able to realize that.

Jeremy chuckled.

Jeremy: Well don't worry about now, go ahead and take your seat. Class is about to begin.

Matthew looked at the clock and noticed that it was 2 minutes to 8. He walked over to his seat and pulled out his supplies for the class. He felt a lot better now that he knew what the problem was with the program.

* * *

**3:55 PM-History Class**

Matthew worked hard all day in each of his classes, doing each of his assignments and completing them as directed, despite the lack of sleep he got last night. He wanted the school day to end as quickly as possible, but the more Matthew thought about it, the slower the day seemed to go. In Matthew's last class of the day, which was History, he wasn't listening to the teacher much at all. Instead, he was staring at the clock just waiting for the last bell to ring. Jonah and Mariah, who had History with him, couldn't help but noticed Matthew's anxiousness to getting out of class.

Mariah: *whispering* Is Matthew ok? He seems pretty jittery about something.

Jonah: *whispering* You noticed that too huh? I wonder what's up with him. First, he seemed like he was about to fall asleep at anytime, now he seems ready to go and run a marathon.

Teacher: Jonah and Mariah!

The two friends jumped slightly at the teacher's voice.

Teacher: Is there something that you would like to share with the rest of the class?

Jonah &amp; Mariah: No ma'am.

Teacher: Then quit your whispering about whatever it is you two are talking about and pay attention. Now then class...

*RIIIIIIIIIIING*

Teacher: *groan* Class dismissed. Have a good weekend everyone and don't forget to study for your exam on World War I on Monday!

As soon as the bell rang, Matthew got up from his seat and sprinted his way out of the door towards the courtyard. Jonah and Mariah were very confused as to why he left so quickly. They quickly gathered there stuff and followed him outside. Meanwhile, Matthew was running through the courtyard and heading towards the campus gate. He raced past Gary, Natalie, and Alexis who were quite stunned at the blur that just past them.

Gary: Was that Matthew?

Alexis: I couldn't tell.

Just then, Jonah and Mariah screeched to a stop in front of them completely out of breath.

Natalie: What happened to you two?

Jonah: We...we were...following Matthew...

Mariah: He seemed very...anxious on getting out of class...and we wanted...to know why...

This left the rest of the gang confused.

Natalie: I don't think we're gonna be able to catch him now. I didn't see where he was heading towards. I'm gonna give him a call and ask him what's up.

So Natalie took out her phone and dialed Matthew's number. She then put her phone on speaker mode so that the rest of the gang could hear. Meanwhile, Matthew had reached the campus gate before he stopped running. He looked at the address Jeremy gave him and left the campus heading for the street. As he began his walk there, his phone vibrated in his pocket. It was a call from Natalie.

Matthew: Hey Nat, what's up?

_Natalie: I was about to ask you the same thing. Gary, Alexis, and I just saw you race past us without even greeting us. And Mariah and Jonah were chasing after you just to see where you were going. They said that you were real anxious about getting out of class._

Matthew: I was anxious.

_Natalie: Why? Earlier today, you looked like you were about to fall asleep on the floor._

Matthew: Because I just found out how to solve the problem with programming your new abilities.

The gang's eye went wide at what Matthew just said.

_Natalie: Wait...you have? How?_

Matthew: I went to Mr. Belpois. He and Mrs. Belpois know more about programming and about Lyoko than I do. So I figured, why not ask for his help? So he told me that my laptop just wasn't able to handle the work I've been putting in. So he gave me his address to his home and he's going to help me put the finishing touches on your abilities. How do you guys like that?

_Natalie: That's awesome Matt! Well, good luck and keep us posted._

Matthew: I will. See ya.

Matthew hung up his phone and continued on his way towards the Belpois Residence.

* * *

**Kadic Academy-Brandon's Room**

Meanwhile over at Kadic, Brandon was laying on his bed staring up at the ceiling. He went to the nurse's office earlier before school started and asked for some headache pills. He didn't tell the nurse that he was having the flashbacks because he thought that she would think he was crazy and needed therapy. However, after he took the pills, he felt better and the flashbacks didn't come back, but he still kept thinking about why they were happening.

Brandon: I just don't understand. How is this even happening and why is it happening? I'm sure those things never happened, otherwise I would've remembered them. So...why...just why?

That wasn't the only thing that was on his mind though. He thought back to when Matthew had ran into him in the hallway.

Brandon: Man, and when Stephenson came out of nowhere and ran into me in the halls...I did not see that coming at all. Yes...I was a little upset but then he started to apologize...but I still yelled at him for it. Then he said that he didn't feel sorry anymore and just shoved me out of the way. Now that I look back on it...I kinda feel bad now...I don't think he deserved that.

Brandon kept thinking about today's events. He looked over at his clock and saw that it was only 4:15 PM.

Brandon: *sigh* Maybe some fresh air will help clear my head.

So Brandon got up from his bed and walked out towards the courtyard.

* * *

**Boulogne-Billancourt-Belpois Residence**

**4:35 PM**

After walking for a little more than a half hour, Matthew had finally reached Jeremy's house. He looked at the address one more time just to be sure that he was at the right place.

Matthew: Hmm...looks like it. Well...here goes.

Matthew walked up the walkway and up a set of brick stairs leading to the front door. He rang the doorbell and waited for a reply. He didn't have to wait long as the door opened a few seconds later. But to his surprise, it wasn't Jeremy who answered the door, nor was it Aelita. Instead, it was little 9 year old Maya who answered the door. Matthew was surprised.

Matthew: Uhh...is this the Belpois residence?

Maya: That depends. Who wants to know?

Matthew: Uh...Matthew Stephenson.

Maya: Why are you here?

Matthew: Mr. Belpois asked me to stop by here. He said he can help me with something.

Maya: How do I know you're not one of those undercover cops?

Matthew: What? I'm 15 years old. How can I be an undercover cop?

?: What's going on over here?

Matthew and the young girl looked and saw Aelita walking towards the front door.

Aelita: Maya, what is the meaning of this?

Maya: This person said that Daddy told him to come by here. I don't believe him. I think he's one of those undercover cops.

Aelita: Now Maya that's very rude. He's one of Daddy's students. Remember, Daddy is a teacher over at Kadic Academy and this young man is in his class.

Maya: Ooooooooh.

Aelita: Now Maya, what do you say to him?

Maya: I'm sorry.

Matthew: It's okay. Just a simple mistake.

Aelita: Good, now go and play in your room for a bit.

Maya: Okay Mommy.

Little Maya scurried away a moment later leaving Aelita with Matthew.

Aelita: So, what brings you here young man?

Matthew: Remember how I said that I was going to try and program new abilities for my friends on Lyoko?

Aelita: Yes, why?

Matthew: Well I was having trouble doing it, so I asked Mr. Belpois if he could help me. He told me what was wrong and told me to come here and he'll help me finish up.

Aelita: I see. Well Mr. Belpois won't be home for a few more minutes. He said that he was finishing up putting together your classes test that he plans on giving you all next week.

Matthew: Heh, he did tell our class that there would be a test next week.

Aelita: Well come on in and make yourself at home for the moment.

Matthew: Much appreciated Mrs. Belpois.

Aelita smiled as Matthew walked inside. The Belpois' House was just a bit bigger than his house. It was a 2-story building, with 2 bedrooms and a guest room on the top floor and the living room, kitchen, dining room, and Jeremy's Study room on the bottom floor. The living room also had a lovely cobblestone fire place as well as a flat-screen TV above it.

Matthew: Nice place you all have here.

Aelita: Thank you very much. Would you like anything while you're waiting? A drink or a snack of some sorts?

Matthew: I'll just take a glass of water please.

Aelita: Sure thing. Be right back.

Aelita walked into the kitchen to grab a glass of water while Matthew admired the house. A moment later, Aelita returned.

Aelita: Here you go.

Matthew: Thank you ma'am.

At that moment, Jeremy walked in the door. Aelita greeted him warmly.

Aelita: Hello Jeremy. Have a good day?

Jeremy: It started out slow, but it was a good day in the end.

Aelita: That's good to hear.

She gave him a quick welcome back kiss and hug and motioned over to where Matthew was sitting.

Aelita: One of your students is here to see you.

Jeremy then noticed Matthew sitting on the couch.

Jeremy: Ah Matthew, welcome to our house. I'm glad you were able to find your way here.

Matthew: Well thank you sir for agreeing to help me out with the abilities.

Jeremy: No problem at all. Now let's get started.

Aelita: If you boys would like some help, don't be afraid to ask.

Jeremy: Thanks Aelita, we won't. Matthew, follow me please.

So Matthew followed Jeremy over to his Study Hall. Matthew was amazed at the room. The room had 4 large bookshelves with many different types of books and also had Jeremy's computer equipment. It looked much more powerful than his little old laptop. It consisted of 2 large and powerful large-screen desktop computers each with a powerful processor and other things.

Matthew: That's some computer set.

Jeremy: Yes it is, and should help us get the job done. Now let's get started.

So over the next couple of hours, Jeremy showed Matthew how to program each of the abilities that he had planned. However, it took a little longer than Jeremy had planned. In fact, Jeremy asked Matthew to keep coming back to his house just to show him what to do. Eventually, 4 days later and 3 days until Christmas Break...

Jeremy: And...it...is...done!

Matthew: Really? We did it?

Jeremy: Yes Matthew we did. Now all we got to do is burn it on this CD and then program them all into the supercomputer.

Matthew: How long will it take to program it in the supercomputer?

Jeremy: About 2 days. But don't worry, I'll work on that, okay?

Matthew: Okay sir, let me know when it's ready. Looks like these are going to be my friend's Lyoko Christmas presents.

Jeremy: Looks that way. Well, you better get back to Kadic before it gets too late. I'll stay here and get these on the CD and then tomorrow after class, I'll head for the factory and program it in the supercomputer.

Matthew: Thank you so much for your help sir.

Jeremy: You're very much welcome.

So Matthew gathered up all of his belongings and headed out the door towards Kadic. Jeremy, Aelita, and little Maya waved goodbye to him.

Jeremy: See you in class tomorrow!

Aelita: Bye Matthew!

Maya: Bye bye!

Matthew waved back and continued on towards the academy.

* * *

**Well looks like we're finally going to find out what the new abilities are for the gang. I hope you all are excited. I know I am because I know what they are HA! XD But anyway, I hope you all enjoyed and be sure to leave a review and follow and favorite the story!**

**Author's Note: I used the name Maya because when Jeremy first met Aelita in the "XANA Awakens" episodes, Aelita didn't remember her name so Jeremy gave her the name Maya. I figured that it would be a good name for Jeremy and Aelita's daughter. I hope you guys like it also.**

**Anyways, FakeACU83 OUT!**


	29. Lyoko Christmas Part 1: New Abilities

_**Chapter 29: Lyoko Christmas Part 1: New Abilities**_

**The Next Day**

**Belpois Residence-****6:30 AM**

Jeremy awoke the next morning a little earlier than usual, but there was a reason for that. After he helped out Matthew finish up the gang's new abilities, he told himself that he would get up early and head over towards the factory to at least get started on programming the new abilities into the supercomputer, and then return to the factory immediately after the last class. He slowly and quietly got out of he and Aelita's bed hoping not to wake her up. He heard Aelita moan a little and turn on her side. Luckily for him, she didn't wake up. Jeremy breathed a sigh of relief as he grabbed his clothes off of a nearby chair and quickly changing into them. Once done, he made his lunch, ate a light breakfast, and wrote Aelita a note telling her what his plan was and where he would be at later on. Once he was done, he quietly left his house, got in his car, and drove off towards the campus.

Meanwhile over at Kadic, Matthew was just now waking up after his alarm blared out loudly in his ear. Usually, it would take him a few moments to get himself out of bed, but today he jumped right out and quickly prepared himself for the day. He was excited, for two reasons. First because it was now only 2 days away until the students began their 2 week Christmas Vacation. He was looking forward to spending the holidays with his family, but all the same, he would miss his friends. Second was because he had finally finished programming this friends new Lyoko abilities, with the help from Jeremy of course, and was more than ready to show them to his friends. But he had to wait until Jeremy was done programming them into the supercomputer.

Matthew: _(to himself) Man I hope Mr. Belpois hurries up with the programming. I can't wait much longer, I'm so pumped!_

Gathering his composure, he continued on with his morning routine, getting a shower, brushing his teeth, and gathering his supplies for the day before heading off for breakfast. He arrived at the cafeteria a few moments later meeting up with his friends, smiling the biggest smile ever. His friends were puzzled as to why he was so happy.

Gary: Well looks like someone's in a good mood.

Natalie: What's gotten you so cheery today?

Matthew so badly wanted to tell his friends that he and Jeremy had finally been able to finish programming the new abilities, but he wanted to keep it a secret for just a little bit longer.

Matthew: As much as I wanna tell you guys, I'm not gonna. It's a surprise

Jonah: Oooh, I like surprises.

Matthew: Well then, you guys are gonna love this one.

Gary: Can you give us a little hint at what it is mate?

Matthew: Heck no, that'll just ruin it.

The gang chuckled a bit.

Matthew: Don't worry guys, you'll find out soon enough.

After about another half an hour of eating and chatting amongst themselves, the bell rang signaling the beginning of another school day.

Matthew: See you later guys, I'm off!

All: See ya!

Matthew walked away to Jeremy's classroom, still smiling broadly. When he arrived, he found Jeremy sitting at his desk. He quickly walked over to him before class began.

Matthew: Hey Mr. Belpois!

Jeremy: Ah Matthew, how can I help you?

Matthew: I just had a question about...

He looked around the classroom just to make sure that the other students that were now walking in didn't hear him.

Matthew: ...about the new abilities? How are they coming along?

Jeremy: I'm glad you asked youngster. Actually, they're coming along better than I thought. I actually finished programming them all just this morning before I came here.

Matthew: What really that fast?!

Jeremy: Indeed. And now they're ready to be presented to your friends.

Matthew: Oh man that's great! Can I show them after school?

Jeremy: I don't see why not. I'll also bring along my friends and send them to Lyoko for them to see also.

Matthew: Mr. Belpois, you are the best. Thank you so much for all your help.

Jeremy: You're very welcome Matthew. I'm actually glad that you came up with the idea. It's true, XANA has upped his game with these new monsters. I don't like the feeling of him being this quiet. It's been about a week since he last attacked and I don't know what he has in store for us next.

Matthew: I agree with you there sir. But may as well show my friends new abilities now rather than later, so in case XANA does attack, we can be ready with our upgrades.

Jeremy: Indeed.

Just then, the tardy bell rang, signifying class was in session. Matthew quickly took his seat in front of his computer as Jeremy began speaking.

Jeremy: Good morning everyone. I hope you all are ready for your last day before the holidays tomorrow.

The class gave a quick cheer in excitement. Jeremy quickly settled them down.

Jeremy: Calm down now, calm down. Now I know you all might now enjoy this, but better to do it now and get it out of the way than to do it when you all come back from break. You all remember last week I said that I had a test planned for you all? Well that test is now ready to be given. I hope you all have studied for this one. It's on our recent lessons on those advanced programming skills and other things that we covered earlier in the year. You will be taking your test on your computer. Now open up your computers to the class website and look for the file labeled "Advanced Programming Test." Once you find it, click on it and you all may begin.

Some of the students gave a low groan as they and the rest of the students opened up to the website and began their exam.

* * *

**12:00 Noon**

**Lunchtime-Cafeteria**

the first half of the day seem to just fly by for Matthew and his gang, and before they even knew it, it was already lunchtime. All the students made their way to the cafeteria, stomachs growling and begging for food. On his way there, Matthew decided that he would tell his friends to meet him over at the factory after school. However, he wasn't going to say the reason why. When he arrived at the cafeteria, he got his plate of food and went to look for his friends. However, he didn't see them anywhere.

Matthew: _(to himself) Hmm...must be late getting here. Oh well, may as well save them a table._

So Matthew found an empty table and sat in one of the chairs as he waited for his friends to show up. This wasn't the first time that has happened. There were a number of occasions when his friends showed up a few minutes late for lunch. Either from getting let out of their class a bit late, or having to stop by their rooms to pick up or drop something off real quick. Matthew didn't have to wait long as a few moments later, the rest of the gang arrived and got their portion of food. Matthew waved them over to him and his friends walked over.

Mariah: Hey Matt. How are things?

Matthew: Things are going good. What about you guys?

Gary: All is well here.

Matthew: That's good. Hey by the way, I have a message to pass on to you guys.

Jonah: A message? Who from?

Matthew: From Mr. Belpois. He told me in Computer Science that he wants us all to go to the factory later on after school.

Alexis: Why does he want us there? There's no XANA attack or anything and we don't have any Lyoko training to do at the moment...at least not until we begin our group training...whenever that is.

Matthew: He didn't really say why. But he did say that it involves Lyoko. What is it, I have no idea?

Gary: Well I guess we'll find out later.

Little did the warriors know that Matthew knew why they were going to the factory. He chuckle under his breath in excitement. Meanwhile, Jeremy was in the gymnasium looking for Ulrich. He found him practicing his Pencak Silat. He stopped when he heard Jeremy open the doors to the gym.

Ulrich: Oh hey Einstein. What's up?

Jeremy: I need you and the others to meet up at the factory.

Ulrich was confused.

Ulrich: And the reason for that is...

Jeremy: A few weeks ago, after our young warriors finished their tag team training, Matthew made the suggestion of upgrading his friends Lyoko forms by giving them new abilities.

Ulrich: Woah that's cool! Did he do it?

Jeremy: He struggled a bit, but he came to me for help. Anyway, just today I told him that I finished programming the abilities into the supercomputer and now they're ready to be given to Matthew's friends. Why I want you, Yumi, Odd, William, and Aelita there is to see for yourself what they are so in case XANA attacks again, you'll know how to use your abilities and theirs in battle.

Ulrich: That's a good plan. Alright, I'll be there.

Jeremy: Great. Contact Yumi and William while I get a hold of Odd and Aelita.

Ulrich: Already on old pal.

Ulrich got out his phone and dialed his friend's numbers while Jeremy walked away back to his classroom to call Odd and Aelita.

* * *

**4:00 PM**

*RIIIIIIIIIING*

History Teacher: Class dismissed. Have a good day everyone! See you all tomorrow!

Matthew, Jonah, and Mariah left their History class and walked outside to the courtyard to meet up with their the rest of the gang. About a minute later, Gary, Natalie, and Alexis appeared out of the crowd and joined up with their friends.

Matthew: So guys, onward towards the factory?

Gary: Right you are mate.

As the gang turned towards the park they heard a voice.

?: And where do you six think you're going?

The gang froze in their tracks and turned around to see where the voice was coming from. They breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Ulrich walking towards them.

Natalie: Whew...don't scare us like that Coach.

Ulrich: Sorry about that. Anyway, where are you all off to? Towards the factory?

The gang stared at Ulrich stunned.

Jonah: Uhh...how did you know?

?: Because I told him to go there.

The gang looked behind Ulrich and saw Jeremy walking up towards them as well.

Mariah: Oh hey Mr. Belpois.

Alexis: Not trying to be rude but...why is Coach Ulrich going to the factory with us?

Jeremy: Oh don't you worry now young Alexis, you all will find out soon enough.

He gave a wink at Matthew who smirked back. The gang didn't seem to notice at all.

Jeremy: Now come along everyone. To the factory!

Jeremy and Ulrich led the young warriors into the park and towards the sewers. After a few minutes of traveling underground, they reemerged from the sewers in front of the old factory. After swinging down the ropes and assembling into the elevator, Jeremy pushed the down button and descended into towards the lab. Matthew was now the most excited he had been all day.

Matthew: _(to himself) Boy I can't wait to see the looks on their faces when they see their new abilities._

A few moments later, the elevator stopped and the doors opened up revealing the computer lab, but also something else that stunned the gang, with the exception of Jeremy, Ulrich, and Matthew. Waiting for them in the lab was Odd, Yumi, William, and Aelita.

Aelita: Ah hello everyone. Nice of you all to stop by.

Gary: Uhh...Mr. Belpois, Coach Ulrich, what are the rest of your friends doing here? I thought you said that you wanted us to be here.

Jeremy: Well Gary, I lied.

All: Huh?!

Jeremy: Matthew, if you please?

The gang looked at their friend quite confused.

Natalie: What's going on here Matt?

Matthew: I got good news for you all. I'm gonna give you guys an early Christmas present.

The gang all gave raised eyebrows.

Jonah: And what would that be?

Matthew: *smirking* Your new Lyoko Abilities.

The gang's jaws all dropped to the floor.

Alexis: Our abilities are ready?!

Matthew: Yes they are. Mr. Belpois and I finished programming them a few days ago and just this morning, Mr. Belpois finished programming them into the supercomputer. And now they're ready to be used.

Gary: That is awesome mate! But there's one more thing. Why are Mr. Belpois and his friends here with us?

Yumi: We're here to see the new abilities for ourselves.

Odd: So the next time XANA decides to show his ugly self, we'll now what to expect from you new powers and maybe use them to our advantage.

Gary: That makes sense.

Jeremy: So, are you all ready to get started?

All: Ready!

Jeremy: Alright. Everyone, head for the scanners.

The 11 warriors all descended down into the scanner room all ready to be sent to Lyoko.

* * *

**Lyoko-Desert Sector**

Jeremy: Virtualization!

Gary, Alexis, and Matthew all dropped down into the Desert Sector with the rest of the warriors, who were virtualized by Jeremy a few moments earlier. The young warriors all looked at themselves to see if anything had changed. They were a bit puzzled to see that their forms were exactly the same as before.

Mariah: Uhh...are you sure that you put in our new abilities? Cause I don't see anything different.

Matthew: Your new abilities don't alter your Lyoko forms.

Mariah: Oh...so what are they?

Matthew: Well since you asked first Mariah, I'll start with you. Mr. Belpois, do you think you can program a replica of one of XANA's monsters, like the ones that were used for our training?

Jeremy: One monster coming right up.

A few seconds later, a Tarantula was virtualized behind the warriors glowing green like always. With Jeremy controlling it, he made the monster go into its firing position and stay there.

Matthew: Ok Mariah, you'll need your laser cannons for this one.

So Mariah brought out her cannons from their holsters.

Matthew: Your new ability is called "Control Beam." It's a laser that is fired from your cannons and has a pinkish aura surrounding it, much like Mr. Belpois' green aura around the Tarantula.

Mariah: What does it do?

Matthew: You're gonna love this. It can be used to control only one monster. Once the beam hits the monster, it can work for you and you command the monster through your thoughts.

Mariah: No way! That's so cool! How do I summon it?

Matthew: All you have to do is aim your cannons at the monster and say the word "Control Beam." And that's it.

Mariah: Ok, let's try it.

So Mariah aimed her guns at the Tarantula. She took a deep breath and...

Mariah: CONTROL BEAM!

Just then, a pink glowing laser shot out of one of the cannons and flew straight into the Tarantula. One moment, the monster was glowing green, the next it had a pink sura surrounding it. A pink aura also surrounded Mariah, signifying that she was now controlling the monster. Once Mariah saw this, she focused her thoughts on controlling it. Suddenly, the Tarantula stood back on its legs and began walking towards the Digital Sea. The new and old warriors were amazed as Mariah kept focusing on moving the Tarantula. A moment later, the monster stepped off the edge of the plateau and plummeted into the Digital Sea. Mariah's pink glow faded away a moment later.

Mariah: Wow...that was awesome!

Yumi: That's a lot like my Telekinesis Ability.

Jeremy: That's right Yumi. Now you're not the only one who can control things.

Matthew: I must warn you though Mariah. You can only control ONE monster and that's it. And if you get devirtualized, the monster returns to normal.

Mariah: Thanks for the warning.

Matthew: Moving on then, Gary we'll do you next.

Gary: Alright! I'm looking forward to this. What's mine?

Matthew: Your ability is actually Coach Ulrich's Super Sprint. I've seen your speed when we run around the track in PE class, so I figured this one would suit you best.

Gary: Well you thought right mate! Let me guess, on how it works. Just like Coach Ulrich, I say "Super Sprint" and I go?

Matthew: Couldn't have explained it better myself.

Ulrich then stepped up behind Gary.

Ulrich: So, you up for a little race Gary?

Gary: Let's do it!

Ulrich looked around and saw a tower standing on the same plateau as they were a ways from them.

Ulrich: Ok, we'll run to the tower and back. First one back wins.

Gary: You're on!

So Ulrich and Gary took their places and got ready to race. Jeremy counted them down.

Jeremy: 3...2...1...GO!

Gary &amp; Ulrich: SUPER SPRINT!

The two speedy warriors raced away towards the tower kicking up a lot of dust while doing so. One second it would be Ulrich in front, the next it would be Gary. By the time they reached the tower, they were neck and neck for the lead. The both raced around the tower and went back towards the rest of the warriors. It was down to the wire as the finish was in sight. Ulrich was just edging ahead ever so slightly, but Gary put in a little more speed to edge ahead of Ulrich at the last second and crossing the finish line first.

Gary: WOO-HOO! That was fun!

Ulrich: Nice race Gary. I'm impressed.

Gary: Thank you sir. I might consider joining Kadic's Track Team now.

Ulrich: You would be a good addition to the team.

Matthew: Moving right along. Jonah, you're next. You'll need your War Axe for this one.

Jonah: Ok.

So Jonah got out his Axe.

Jonah: Now what?

Matthew: Mr. Della Robbia, can you please fire a few arrows at Jonah?

Jonah: Wait...WHAT?!

Odd: Why?

Matthew: It'll help me explain his ability better.

Odd: Well...ok.

So Odd fired 3 arrows at Jonah hitting him in the chest area all 3 times. Jonah groaned as a bit of anger grew inside.

Jonah: What the heck was that for?

Matthew: Calm down Jonah. Mr. Belpois, can you send another monster?

Jeremy: On the way.

Soon, a green glowing Krab dropped down between Jonah and Matthew.

Matthew: Your new power is called "Absorption." It gives you the ability to steal a monster's lifepoints to regenerate yours.

Jonah looked at Matthew stunned.

Jonah: Regenerate what now?

Matthew: Regenerate your lifepoints. All you need to do is say the word "Absorption", then swing your Axe at XANA's Eye and the longer you hold it in there, the more lifepoints you'll get back.

Jonah: Dude that's cool!

Jeremy: Give it a try Jonah, you're down to just 50 lifepoints.

So Jonah jumped up on top of the Krab.

Jonah: ABSORPTION!

He stabbed his Axe in the Eye of XANA. Suddenly, orange pulses began to come up from the Krab and into Jonah. He felt a rush of energy surge through his body as he held his Axe in there. A few seconds later, he had to release his Axe as the Krab exploded a moment later. Jonah dropped back to the ground feeling rejuvenated.

Jonah: Man, I feel great now.

Jeremy: And you should be. You're back up to full health now.

Jonah: Nice! Sorry about blowing up a bit Matt.

Matthew: Ah don't sweat it. It's all good. Now, Alexis you're next.

Alexis: Cool, let's do it.

Matthew: Your new power is the ability to actually turn invisible. Since you have a sorta assassin look to your Lyoko form.

Alexis: Turn invisible? AWESOME! How does it work?

Matthew: All you have to do is say the word "Invisibility." And to return to normal, just say "Reappear."

Alexis: Ok, INVISIBILITY!

A moment later, Alexis disappeared. The warriors looked around to try and guess where she was. Little did they know that she was now sneaking up behind William.

Alexis: REAPPEAR!

Alexis reappeared a moment later now standing behind William. The warriors saw this, but William didn't. That is until...

Alexis: BOO!

William: WOAH! Do you ever do that again!

Alexis fell to the ground laughing her lungs out. The rest of the warriors couldn't help but laugh to.

Matthew: Well before Mr. Dunbar blows a fuse, Natalie you're the last one. You ready?

Natalie: I am.

Matthew: Ok, bring out your swords because you're going to need them for your ability.

So Natalie brought out her twin katanas.

Matthew: Ok, your ability is kinda similar to my Lightning ability. All you have to do is focus your energy on your blades until they start glowing white.

Natalie: What will do then?

Matthew: I'll let you figure that out.

Natalie: Well...ok.

So Natalie focused her energy on her katanas and soon they started to glow white.

Matthew: Ok, now Mr. Dunbar, can you stand in front of her please?

William: *groan* I don't like where this is going.

But William reluctantly did so.

Matthew: Now all you need to do Natalie is just slash your swords quick and watch what happens.

So Natalie crossed her blades and William braced himself for what would happen. Natalie quickly slashed her swords and an white X-shape blast of wind shot out of them and collided straight into William knocking him back a few yards. Natalie gasped as William groaned to his feet.

William: I told you I didn't like where this was going.

Natalie: Woah, what was that?

Matthew: Your new ability. Wind Slash.

Natalie: NICE!

Matthew: Oh and there's one more little thing I added. Look on your left wrist.

Natalie looked on her wrist and noticed a small purple and white crescent moon shaped bracelet.

Natalie: Woah, have no idea how I missed that. What is it?

Matthew: Move your hand over it and you'll find out.

So Natalie motioned her hand over the bracelet and it gave a faint purple glow. Then out of nowhere, a pair of slightly transparent light purple fairy wings appeared out of her back. The warriors, but mostly Aelita gasped.

Natalie: Woooooow...they're beautiful.

Aelita: Now you have wings just like me!

Matthew: Why don't you give them a try.

Natalie: Here goes nothing.

So Natalie jumped up in the air and began flying around gracefully in the virtual sky. She was amazed at the view and having the time of her life.

Natalie: YOU ARE THE BEST MATTHEW! THANK YOU!

Matthew couldn't help but smile at the sight of his girlfriend flying. Natalie landed a few seconds later and the fairy wings disappeared.

Matthew: So guys, what do you all think?

Gary: These powers are the greatest!

Jonah: You really outdone yourself this time.

Matthew: Well you should also thank Mr. Belpois. He helped me out a lot with your new powers.

All: Thank you sir!

Jeremy: Your welcome everyone! Ok time to bring you all back. You all have a busy last day tomorrow before Christmas Break.

* * *

**Lyoko-Unknown Location**

As Jeremy was rematerializing the warriors, the misty black figure watched them through the interface in a tower.

?: So the young ones have got themselves some new powers hmm? How quaint. Too bad they won't be able to use them for long.

The misty being chuckled evilly as it turned off the interface and faded away.

* * *

**Holy cow this chapter took a long LONG time to write. But I hope you all enjoyed reading it and I hope you all like the young warriors new abilities, which were the idea of my good friend, once again pokemonking0924. Thanks man for the idea! Another thing you may be asking is, "FakeACU83, what is it with these divided chapters?! Why can't you just put all those parted chapters into one?!" Two reasons why.**

**1\. I like to keep you guys on the edge of your seats.**

**2\. It eases the pains in my wrists and fingers if I divide the chapters.**

**So yeah, those are my reasons. Love them or hate them, I don't care. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. By the way, like I said before, I don't need any ideas for now, because I have a lot of them and I plan on using them all. And a bonus, some of them are my ideas and not just pokemonking0924. So yeah, take care guys! And like always, FakeACU83 OUT!**


	30. Lyoko Christmas Part 2: The Invasion

_Previously on Code Lyoko: New Youth_

_Gary: Well looks like someone's in a good mood._

_Natalie: What's gotten you so cheery today?_

_Matthew: As much as I wanna tell you guys, I'm not gonna. It's a surprise_

_Jonah: Oooh, I like surprises._

_Matthew: Well then, you guys are gonna love this one._

_00000000_

_Matthew: Hey Mr. Belpois! I just had a question about the new abilities? How are they coming along?_

_Jeremy: I'm glad you asked youngster. Actually, they're coming along better than I thought. I actually finished programming them all just this morning before I came here. And now they're ready to be presented to your friends._

_Matthew: Oh man that's great! Can I show them after school?_

_Jeremy: I don't see why not. I'll also bring along my friends and send them to Lyoko for them to see also._

_Matthew: Mr. Belpois, you are the best. Thank you so much for all your help._

_00000000_

_Mariah: Hey Matt. How are things?_

_Matthew: Things are going good. Hey by the way, I have a message to pass on to you guys._

_Jonah: A message? Who from?_

_Matthew: From Mr. Belpois. He told me in Computer Science that he wants us all to go to the factory later on after school. He didn't really say why. But he did say that it involves Lyoko. What is it, I have no idea?_

_00000000_

_Gary: Uhh...Mr. Belpois, Coach Ulrich, what are the rest of your friends doing here? I thought you said that you wanted us to be here._

_Jeremy: Well Gary, I lied._

_All: Huh?!_

_Jeremy: Matthew, if you please?_

_Matthew: I got good news for you all. I'm gonna give you guys an early Christmas present._

_Jonah: And what would that be?_

_Matthew: *smirking* Your new Lyoko Abilities._

_00000000_

_Matthew: So guys, what do you all think?_

_Gary: These powers are the greatest!_

_Jonah: You really outdone yourself this time._

_00000000_

_?: So the young ones have got themselves some new powers hmm? How quaint. Too bad they won't be able to use them for long._

* * *

_**Chapter 30: Lyoko Christmas Part 2: The Invasion**_

**Lyoko-Unknown Location**

?: Those foolish warriors have no idea what I'm about to do. Heh heh heh, now all I need to do is to wait for them all to be together in one place. Then at that moment, I will strike. HA HA HA!

* * *

**Kadic Academy-Cafeteria**

**7:00 AM The Next Day**

It was a cold Friday morning for the students at Kadic. Earlier in the night, a light snowfall came through and now the city and the academy were covered with a thin blanket of soft, white snow. The morning sunshine seemed to make the snow sparkle as the rays beamed off of it. The students were enjoying their breakfast and were happily chatting amongst themselves and their friends. It was the last day before the students began their 2 week Christmas Vacation and New Year Holiday. All of the students were excited, especially the young Lyoko Warriors.

Matthew: Man I can't wait for this day to be over.

Alexis: I know right! I can't wait to see my family again. I love spending the holidays with them. Plus I can't wait to see my sister again.

Natalie: Why is that?

Alexis: I haven't seen her since she went off to college last year in London. Me and her were very close growing up and I always looked up to her. She's the best big sister I could have ever asked for.

Natalie: Aww that's so sweet! My brother and I are kinda close, but we do get on each other's nerves from time to time, but that's just normal sibling love you know what I mean?

Jonah: I know what you mean. My brother and I sometimes get into some scraps, but we love each other a lot.

Matthew: I don't know what that's like. I'm an only child.

Gary: Me too.

Mariah: And me.

Natalie: Sorry to hear that.

Gary: Ah don't be sorry Nat. I like being an only child. You're parents will pay attention to you more often.

Natalie chuckled a bit.

Natalie: Heh, that's true.

They continued to talk amongst themselves until it was time for the last day before break to begin.

Matthew: Well guys, see ya'll at lunch!

Gary: See ya mate!

Natalie: Have a good one.

Natalie gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before walking away to her class. Matthew walked onwards towards Jeremy's computer class. As he was turning the corner, he accidentally bumped into another student.

Matthew: Oops...sorry. I didn't mean to...

Brandon: Dang it Matt! The same corner to!

Matthew's tone darkened a bit.

Matthew: Well a good morning to you to Brandon!

Brandon: Why don't you watch where you're going next time!

Matthew just stood his ground.

Matthew: You know, I've always wondered what made you like this. Always acting so superior over others and not caring about anyone but yourself. I guess you'll never change will you.

Brandon: You don't know about me! You don't know anything about me!

Matthew: And I guess I never will. Now move!

Matthew pushed his way past the bully and continued on his way. Brandon just stood there still as a statue. Memories of his past started to flow through his brain.

Brandon: _(to himself) He doesn't know. He doesn't know about my past. He'll never understand the experience I've been through._

Still replaying the memories in his head, Brandon continued on towards his first class of the day.

* * *

**A Few Hours Later**

**Cafeteria-Lunchtime**

The day had gone by quickly for the students at Kadic and before anyone even knew it, it was already lunchtime. The students all filed out of their classrooms all hungry as a hound dog. They crowed into the cafeteria and enjoyed their portion of food. Over at one of the tables, the young warriors were happily chatting amongst themselves yet again about what their day was like so far.

Gary: It's been a pretty good day for me. Not many complicated lessons being taught in the class and PE was as fun as always.

Natalie: Matthew, Jonah, and I had a pop quiz in Math because another student wouldn't pay attention to the lesson.

Alexis: Well that sucks.

Natalie: Ya think?

Jonah: By the way, do you think you passed that quiz?

Natalie: I think so. I mean, it wasn't all that hard to me.

Jonah: Yeah me either.

Mariah: In my Science Class, we did some fun stuff with a bunch of chemicals. What the chemicals were, I had no idea. But at least the school didn't blow up.

The whole gang laughed.

Alexis: My History Class had a test on the French Revolution. Man that was hard!

Matthew: Sorry to hear that. My day didn't start out too well in the hallway.

This got the gang intrigued.

Gary: What happened?

Matthew: I ran into Brandon in the hall on my way to Mr. Belpois' Class.

The gang fell silent for a moment until Matthew spoke again.

Matthew: I will say that it was an accident because I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing. I was apologizing to him, but like always he gets mad.

Natalie: What did you do?

Matthew: I just simply said, _"You know, I've always wondered what made you like this. Always acting so superior over others and not caring about anyone but yourself. I guess you'll never change will_ you." And he was like, _"You don't know about me! You don't know anything about me!"_

Natalie: That was kinda mean Matt. Even for Brandon.

Matthew: Ah he'll get over it.

But deep down, Matthew did kind of feel bad for him, but he thought nothing of it as he continued to each his lunch and talk with his friends. However, they were completely unaware of the events that were about to happen to them and the rest of the school.

* * *

**Lyoko-Unknown Location**

Inside a lone tower, the misty black figure stared at the young warriors through an interface, chuckling to himself.

?: At last, they're all together in one place. Now it's time for me to launch my attack. And this time, I won't let anything or anyone stand in my way. Once those warriors have been eliminated, I will take over the world forever!

Cackling evilly, he turned off the interface and faded away from the tower. At the same time in the Ice Sector, a tower changed from its normal blue aura to red. But something was different this time. In the Scanner Room of the factory, all 3 of the scanners doors opened up. A large leg stepped out of one of the scanners, while a giant metal paw stepped out of another, and a what appeared to be a treads from a tank rolled out of the last.

* * *

**Kadic Academy-Courtyard**

Meanwhile over at Kadic, Carrie and Casey, the 12 year old NEWS Reporting twins were taking a stroll through the park. While it was still a little cold and slippery from the snow, it was a lovely day for a short walk.

Carrie: So beautifully how the snow looks in the sunshine huh Casey?

Casey: Yeah it is. I love winter and I love snow.

She fell on her back and made a snow angel. Carrie giggled and joined in. After they made their snow angels, they stood back up and prepared to walk back to the cafeteria for lunch. Suddenly, they heard a soft growling noise.

Casey: Boy, are you hungry Carrie?

Carrie: Uhh...that wasn't me. I thought that was you.

Casey looked at her sister confused.

Casey: No...it wasn't me.

Carrie: Well...if it wasn't you...then who was it?

Suddenly, they heard the growling again, but they could also hear another noise. It sounded like the sound of metal legs pounded the ground. Another noise could alos be heard and it sounded like a bulldozer's engine running. The twins were now getting scared as the sounds grew closer and closer. Then suddenly out of the bushes, to the twins utter shock, was XANA's Tiger, Tarantula, and Shielder. XANA had materialized them to Earth just as he did with the Kankrelats and Krabs years ago. The twins gasped in fright as the Tarantula and Shielder aimed their lasers cannons straight at them and the Tiger got ready to pounce.

Carrie: RUUUUUN!

The twins took off back towards the academy just as the monsters began firing their lasers. Each laser shot right past them missing them both by mere inches. Carrie and Casey ran as fast as their legs could carry them all the way back to the cafeteria. Meanwhile, back at the cafeteria, the gang and the other students were happily enjoying their meals and preparing for the last half of the day. Over at the warrior's table...

Gary: Well now that we're done here, who's ready to get the last half day over with.

All: Oh heck yes!

Mariah: It won't be long now. Nothing can spoil this day.

Sadly though, Mariah was gravely mistaking. There were many students sitting inside the large cafeteria and thus there was a lot of noise made from each student chatting with another student. However, as the gang continued their conversation, Jonah could here a very faint noise. He zoned out of his friend's conversation and listened hard. It sounded like someone screaming.

Jonah: Hey guys, be quiet a second.

Matthew: What...why do we need...

Jonah: SHH!

The gang fell silent instantly. Jonah listened harder as the sound grew ever so slightly louder and clearer.

Jonah: Listen hard guys and tell me what you can here.

So the gang did so and like Jonah said, a few seconds later, they could hear it to. They were most confused as to what it was but couldn't figure out what it was, due to the massive amounts of noise in the cafeteria.

Gary: What could that be?

Natalie: I don't know. It's too loud. We need everyone to be quiet for a moment. But how?

Matthew: Leave that to me.

Matthew stood up and hopped onto his friend's table. He took a deep breath and yelled at the top of his lungs...

Matthew: HEY EVERYONE! QUIET FOR A SECOND!

The whole cafeteria went quiet almost instantly. Brandon, who was in the lunchroom as well sitting by himself, stood up.

Brandon: Why do we need to be quiet Matt?

Matthew: SHH! Just listen and listen hard.

So they all did and pretty soon, all of the other students including Brandon could hear the faint noise of screaming. The noise became louder and louder with each passing second. The students all mumbled to themselves as to what it could be. Matthew got down off the table and walked over towards the window.

Gary: Hey everyone, keep quiet please!

The cafeteria fell silent once again as Matthew stared out the window. The gang all gathered around him as the rest of the students stood where they were silent. The noise was now getting louder and more clearer. Matthew then figured out who it was from.

Matthew: I know. That's Carrie and Casey screaming.

Alexis: But why?

Alexis soon got her answer as a few seconds later, Carrie and Casey shot out of the bushes screaming bloody murder towards the cafeteria. The gang and the students were very confused as the twins burst through the doors.

Carrie: HELP! SOMEONE PLEASE!

Casey: SOMETHING'S CHASING AFTER US! AND THEY'RE HEADING THIS WAY!

Matthew walked over to them.

Matthew: Woah now you two, try and calm down and tell us what you saw.

Carrie: We were walking in the park when me and Casey heard these strange noises.

Casey: It sounded like a metal leg was beating against the ground. We also heard a growling noise as well as some sort of bulldozer noise.

Carrie: Then out of nowhere, these 3 strange creatures came out and aimed its guns at us and started shooting lasers.

Matthew's face grew pale as realization dawned upon him. He slowly walked back towards the window and peered outside. The gang gathered around him again still confused. Suddenly, the gang and the rest of the students could hear the same noises that the twins heard. Fear began to set in as the sounds grew louder. The gang looked out the window, and then they saw it. To their most utter shock, there emerging from the bushes, was a Tarantula, Shielder, and Tiger. The gang gasped, the twins screamed, and the whole cafeteria went into a state of shock.

Jonah: No...no way...

Gary: I don't believe it...

Natalie: How did he do that?

Mariah: I wish I knew...

Alexis: What is going on?

Matthew: XANA has invaded Earth.

* * *

**A short chapter, I know. But do not worry my friends, for the story shall continue on very soon. For now, you all will just have to wait until I can post Part 3 of "Lyoko Christmas." I hope you all are enjoying not only this chapter, but the story overall. And like always, leave a review telling me what you think, or PM me if you like, and be sure to favorite and follow if you enjoy it very much.**

**MANY THANKS AGAIN!**

**FakeACU83 OUT!**


	31. Lyoko Christmas Part 3: Bigger Dilemma

_Previously on Code Lyoko: New Youth_

_Matthew: Man I can't wait for this day to be over._

_Alexis: I know right! I can't wait to see my family again._

_00000000_

_Brandon: Dang it Matt! The same corner to!_

_Matthew: Well a good morning to you to Brandon!_

_Brandon: Why don't you watch where you're going next time!_

_00000000_

_?: At last, they're all together in one place. Now it's time for me to launch my attack. And this time, I won't let anything or anyone stand in my way. Once those warriors have been eliminated, I will take over the world forever!_

_00000000_

_Jonah: Hey guys, be quiet a second._

_Matthew: What...why do we need..._

_Jonah: SHH! Listen hard guys and tell me what you can here._

_Gary: What could that be?_

_Natalie: I don't know._

_Matthew: I know. That's Carrie and Casey screaming._

_00000000_

_Carrie: HELP! SOMEONE PLEASE!_

_Casey: SOMETHING'S CHASING AFTER US! AND THEY'RE HEADING THIS WAY! We were walking in the park when me and Carrie heard these strange noises.__ It sounded like a metal leg was beating against the ground. We also heard a growling noise as well as some sort of bulldozer noise._

_Carrie: Then out of nowhere, these 3 strange creatures came out and aimed its guns at us and started shooting lasers._

_00000000_

_Alexis: What is going on?_

_Matthew: XANA has invaded Earth._

* * *

_**Chapter 31: Lyoko Christmas Part 3: Bigger Dilemma**_

**Kadic Academy-Cafeteria**

The gang stared in awe at the sight of XANA's monster standing right in front of them. Carrie, Casey, and the rest of the students in the cafeteria were now frightened by the strange looking creatures. The monsters were scanning around the area looking for the gang of young warriors. The gang didn't know what they were doing, that is until the Tarantula spotted them staring out of the window. It signaled the Shielder to where it was pointed and showed it where the warriors were. They then got into their firing stances.

Gary: Uh oh...

Matthew: EVERYBODY DUCK AND COVER!

The students all dove to the ground as the Tarantula and Shielder fired their powerful lasers at the cafeteria, and like a nuclear bomb, the whole cafeteria exploded into chaos and panic. The laser beams pierced through everything in its way. Some of the beams shot straight through the windows, firing shards of glass everywhere. The students and staff inside the lunchroom covered their heads as the glass shards fell to the ground. However, some of the glass ended up cutting some of the students, including Jonah and Alexis.

Jonah: ARRRGGHH!

Alexis: MY HAND!

Matthew looked over and saw that both Jonah and Alexis' hands were now starting to ooze out blood. Matthew looked at their wounds. He breathed a sigh of relief.

Matthew: Lucky for you two, those cuts aren't very deep. They should heal on their own. But we'll worry about that later. Right now, we've got to warn Mr. Belpois and get to the factory fast.

Natalie: And how are we gonna do that? Run like maniacs over towards Mr. Belpois?

Matthew: Do we have much of a choice?

Natalie: Point taken. Ok, let's go.

Mariah: Wait, what about everyone else here? We can't leave them with XANA's monsters.

Matthew: You're right Mariah. You guys go and get Mr. Belpois. I'll stay here and try my best to defend the home-front.

Gary: You're crazy mate! You'll never last by yourself.

?: But what about me?

The gang turned around and saw in surprise Brandon crawling towards them.

Matthew: What are you doing here?

Brandon: I'm here to help you. Look, I don't know what those things are and what they're doing here, but if you guys know something about how to take them out, then I'm willing to put my differences between you and me aside and help you Matt.

Matthew and the gang were left speechless. Matthew thought for a moment, before nodding in agreement.

Matthew: Ok Brandon, I'm willing to put my differences between us aside as well.

He extended his hand and Brandon shook it, signifying their temporary alliance. He then turned back to his friends.

Matthew: Ok, you guys go find Mr. Belpois. Brandon, we need to find weapons. Hopefully enough for everyone to defend themselves. Everyone clear?

All: All clear!

Matthew: Ok you guys, GO!

The gang stood to their feet and sprinted their way towards the hallway door, with the monsters still firing at them. Lucky for the gang, they didn't get hit and were able to make it to the hallways. Back in the cafeteria, Brandon and Matthew were looking for weapons from behind the lunch counter. However, they weren't able to find any at all.

Matthew: Rats! We're gonna have to find some weapons else where. But where exactly?

Brandon: What about the Garden Shed? They got plenty of stuff in there.

Matthew: That's a good point. Ok, you stay here and look after the students, while I try and sneak my way past the monsters and head for the Shed.

Brandon: You're either suicidal or brave.

Matthew: I'm not sure which one I am at the moment, but none of that matters right now. I'll be back.

Matthew took a glance at the monsters. He noticed that they had stopped firing and were now standing in their firing stances. Using this as an opportunity, Matthew snuck his way over towards the edge of the counter and hopped over it before sprinting for the hallway door. Lucky for him, the monsters didn't see him leave. He gave a big sigh of relief as ran down the hallways, before running outside towards the Garden Shed.

* * *

**Jeremy's Classroom**

The 5 friends ran through the long hallways of Kadic and after what seemed like an eternity, they finally arrived at Jeremy's Coumputer Science Classroom. They burst straight through the doors and were greeted with another surprise. Jeremy wasn't the only one in the classroom, Ulrich was there too and too very worried.

Gary: Coach Ulrich, what are you doing here?

Ulrich: Probably the same reason why you're all here. Telling Jeremy that XANA's attacking Earth.

The gang seemed surprised.

Mariah: How did you find out before us?

Ulrich: Well...

* * *

**_A Few Minutes Earlier_**

_Ulrich was in the practicing his Pencak Silat as usual. Everything seemed to be normal, until he heard the sounds of screaming from outside. He walked over to the window facing the cafeteria and saw Carrie and Casey come sprinting out of the park. Curious, Ulrich continued to stare out the window to see what was up. A few seconds later, he saw them. XANA's Tarantula, Shielder, and Tiger came out of the park and aimed its lasers at the cafeteria. Ulrich just stood as still as a statue in shock taht XANA had materialized his monsters to Earth yet again. Suddenly, he saw the monsters begin to fire their lasers straight at the cafeteria. Ulrich was shocked by their actions and couldn't make out why they would aim at the cafeteria. That is, until realization dawned upon him._

_Ulrich: Oh no...the young warriors are in there! And XANA must want them gone. And from what I saw with Carrie and Casey being chased by them, looks like XANA isn't going to let anyone get in his way. But if he wants them gone, then he's probably gonna go after us to. I gotta warn Jeremy and fast!_

_Without thinking twice, Ulrich ran out of the gym over towards Jeremy's classroom._

* * *

**Present Time**

Natalie: Did you know about it Mr. Belpois?

Jeremy: I was completely unaware of it all. I didn't hear the screaming or the lasers. That is until Ulrich told me and he showed me from one of the windows facing the cafeteria. But none of that matters now. What does matter is that we get to the factory and deactivate that tower.

Just then, Jeremy noticed something out of place.

Jeremy: Hang on...where's Matthew?

Alexis: He's back at the lunchroom with Brandon trying to fend off the monsters.

Jeremy: Hmm...he and Brandon won't be able to go at it by themselves.

Ulrich: I'll go and help them. I can find me a weapon in the gym equipment closet and go and help.

Jeremy: Alright, the rest of you all, follow me to the factory. We'll have to sneak our way around XANA's forces.

So Jeremy and the gang went towards the courtyard, while Ulrich ran off back to the gym to find a weapon. However, they were completely unaware of another situation.

Over at the Garden Shed, Matthew had found a small tomahawk and mini chainsaw for him and Brandon to use to try and fend off the monsters. As he was leaving the shed, he heard some noises that he knew all too well.

Matthew: _(to himself) Oh no...don't tell me..._

He turned around and saw more Tarantulas, Shielders, and Tigers.

Matthew: Man XANA, I thought you only sent us a few of these things. Looks like you busted out the big guns this time.

The monsters took aim at Matthew. Matthew was scared for his life, but decided to take a chance and flat out run for it. He saw an opening between 2 Shielders and sprinted through it catching the monsters off guard. They chased after him as Matthew ran as fast as his legs could carry him back towards the cafeteria. Meanwhile, Ulrich had found a long javelin pole to use at a weapon. He ran outside to make his way to the cafeteria when he was suddenly stopped by the sight of more of XANA's same monsters.

Ulrich: Wait a minute...I thought there were only 3 of you here.

He spoke to soon as he saw one more Tarantula emerge from behind the other monsters.

Ulrich: Ok...I didn't see that coming.

Ulrich knew he had to be fast in destroying the monsters if he was going to help Matthew and Brandon. Meanwhile in the city, Yumi, Odd, William and Aelita were hanging out together at Jeremy and Aelita's house. Yumi didn't have to train her martial arts class today so she decided to drop and see Aelita. Odd and William had nothing to do and decided to stop by as well. Odd and William were chilling on the couch watching TV while Aelita was searching through her laptop and Yumi reading some magazines.

William: Man there's nothing good on at all. Grrr...I may as well watch the NEWS.

William changed over to the Channel 6 NEWS station and immediately dropped the remote at the sight of what they were showing on the screen.

NEWS Reporter: We're following breaking news out of the whole city of Boulogne-Billancourt. Strange creatures have come out of nowhere and have started attacking the city and firing what appears to be powerful laser beams at innocent people.

Odd, Yumi, and Aelita stopped what they were doing when they heard what the reporter had said. William turned up the volume as the rest of the friends gathered around to listen.

NEWS Reporter: This photo that was taken by a bystander shows what the creatures look like. One of them looks like a giant 4-legged spider, while another looks like a large mechanical Tiger, and the last one looks like a mechanical man on bulldozer tracks. Some witnesses say that these creatures are aliens that have invaded Earth. As of now, we don't know what they are or where they came from, but advise everyone within the city to quickly find a safe place to take cover and stay hidden for the time being.

William turned off the TV and walked over towards the front window. He peered outside and gasped.

William: Guys...I think we're in trouble...

Odd: Oh no...you don't mean...

William: See for yourself Odd.

Odd, Yumi, and Aelita looked out the window and saw many of XANA's Tigers, Tarantulas and Shielders looking frantically for the warriors.

Aelita: I know they must be looking for us. XANA wants us gone. Both us and the young ones.

Yumi: But why?

Aelita: If he eliminates us all, there will be no one to stop his reign of terror and no one to stop him from taking over the world.

Odd: We have to get to the factory, but how? We're surrounded.

The warriors thought hard but couldn't think of anything at all.

* * *

**I know I know I know, "FAKEACU, WHY IS THIS ANOTHER SHORT CHAPTER?!" Well...to be honest, I simply didn't have the internal motivation to keep going and make this one longer. I originally wanted to make this recent series 3 parts, but now I'm gonna make it 4 parts...maybe 5 at the most. But anyway, I'm sorry if you guys are disappointed with another short chapter, but I try hard to make good content for you guys to read and enjoy. Don't worry, next week's chapter will be longer, I promise. But until then, FakeACU83 OUT!**


	32. Lyoko Christmas Part 4: To the Factory

_Previously on Code Lyoko: New Youth_

_Matthew:__ We've got to warn Mr. Belpois and get to the factory fast._

_Natalie:__ And how are we gonna do that? Run like maniacs over towards Mr. Belpois?_

_Matthew:__ Do we have much of a choice?_

_Natalie:__ Point taken. Ok, let's go._

_Mariah:__ Wait, what about everyone else here? We can't leave them with XANA's monsters._

_Matthew:__ You're right Mariah. You guys go and get Mr. Belpois. I'll stay here and try my best to defend the home-front._

_00000000_

_Matthew:__ What are you doing here?_

_Brandon:__ I'm here to help you. Look, I don't know what those things are and what they're doing here, but if you guys know something about how to take them out, then I'm willing to put my differences between you and me aside and help you Matt._

_Matthew:__ Ok Brandon, I'm willing to put my differences between us aside as well._

_00000000_

_Matthew:__ Rats! We're gonna have to find some weapons else where. But where exactly?_

_Brandon:__ What about the Garden Shed? They got plenty of stuff in there._

_Matthew:__ That's a good point. Ok, you stay here and look after the students, while I try and sneak my way past the monsters and head for the Shed._

_Brandon:__ You're either suicidal or brave._

_Matthew:__ I'm not sure which one I am at the moment, but none of that matters right now. I'll be back._

_00000000_

_Jeremy:__ Hang on...where's Matthew?_

_Alexis:__ He's back at the lunchroom with Brandon trying to fend off the monsters._

_Jeremy:__ Hmm...he and Brandon won't be able to go at it by themselves._

_Ulrich:__ I'll go and help them. I can find me a weapon in the gym equipment closet and go and help._

_Jeremy:__ Alright, the rest of you all, follow me to the factory. We'll have to sneak our way around XANA's forces._

_00000000_

_Matthew:__ Man XANA, I thought you only sent us a few of these things. Looks like you busted out the big guns this time._

_Ulrich:__ Wait a minute...I thought there were only 3 of you here...Ok...I didn't see that coming._

_William:__ Guys...I think we're in trouble..._

_Odd:__ Oh no...you don't mean..._

_William:__ See for yourself Odd._

_Aelita:__ I know they must be looking for us. XANA wants us gone. Both us and the young ones._

_Yumi:__ But why?_

_Aelita:__ If he eliminates us all, there will be no one to stop his reign of terror and no one to stop him from taking over the world._

_Odd:__ We have to get to the factory, but how? We're surrounded._

* * *

**_Chapter 32: Lyoko Christmas Part 4: To the Factory_**

**Kadic Academy-Hallways Near Courtyard**

*RING RING RING*

Jeremy: Aelita?

_Aelita:__ Jeremy, we're in trouble. XANA has sent his monsters to Earth and they're attacking the whole city. And what's worse, they've surrounded the house and now William, Odd, Yumi, and I are trapped._

Jeremy: Funny you should say that, because XANA's sent his monsters to attack the school. He's trying to get rid of us and by the looks of it, he's not gonna let anything or anyone get in his way.

_Aelita:__ Well where are you all now?_

Jeremy: Everyone but Matthew is with me. We're going to try and sneak our way around the monsters and get to the factory. Hopefully he hasn't done much damage to the place.

_Aelita:__ What about Ulrich and Matthew?_

Jeremy: They're going to try and hold down the fort over here. In the meantime, you guys try and find a way to get to the factory as fast as you can. We're gonna need all the help we can get right now.

Jeremy hung up the call and looked outside the doors. He could see the 3 XANA monsters still aiming at the cafeteria, but not firing their lasers.

Jeremy: Hmmm...at the moment, they seem pretty focused on the cafeteria, but I don't think it's a good idea if we go now. They might see us, and then start attacking us.

Gary: So what do you suggest we do?

?: INCOMING!

The warriors and the monsters all turned around to see who made the noise. They turned around and saw Matthew come sprinting from around a corner with the tomahawk and chainsaw in his hands. The monsters got ready to fire, but before they fired a shot, Matthew threw the small tomahawk at the Tarantula. The tomahawk hit XANA's eye dead center and the Tarantula fell limp now destroyed. The monsters saw what happened and hesitated to fire again, giving Matthew the opportunity to strike again. He fired up the chainsaw and jabbed it straight through the Shielder's chest. Unlike Lyoko where the Eye of XANA is the weak point, when the monsters are on Earth, a single good hit would defeat the monster's systems, thus ultimately destroying them. Matthew picked up the tomahawk and started swing at the Tiger. He hit the Tiger's outer skin which weakened it to the point where the Tiger roared as it normally would, giving Matthew the chance to jab the chainsaw through it's glowing orb. The Tiger fell to the ground now destroyed. Matthew gasped for breath before turning around to face Jeremy and his friends.

Matthew: YOU GOT TO HURRY! THERE'S MORE COMING IN BEHIND THE BUILDING! GET TO THE FACTORY AND DEACTIVATE THE TOWER FAST!

Jeremy: You heard the boy, LET'S GO!

Jeremy led the gang of young warriors into the park and towards the sewer line. And in just in time as well, because not 5 seconds after they ran into the bushes, the monsters that Matthew saw at the Garden Shed came out from behind the building and marched straight towards him. Matthew darted inside the cafeteria, much to the relief of Brandon and the other students, who were near in fear for their lives.

Brandon: I gotta say, that was pretty amazing what you just did out there.

Matthew: Thanks, but there's no time for that now. Take the chainsaw and help me deal with these things.

Brandon: Is there a weak spot anywhere on those monsters?

Matthew: Anywhere is a weak point. Just give it a good solid hit and it should fall.

Brandon: Alright, let's do this!

So the two temporary allies stepped out of the cafeteria, weapons in hand, ready to take on XANA's monsters.

_Matthew:__ (to himself) XANA doesn't like it when we invade his territory, so we'll show how we feel when he invades our world._

Meanwhile outside of the gymnasium, Ulrich was having difficulties of his own. He was surrounded by a good 7 of XANA's monsters and he was now starting to think that the one javelin he had wasn't going to cut it.

Ulrich: Man, if only I had that nail gun that Jim used to help save me and Yumi back then.

Ulrich mentally kicked himself for not thinking that XANA would send more monsters to Earth. Kicking the thought out of his mind, he went back to focusing on the task at hand.

Ulrich: Matthew and Brandon are gonna need help, so I better make this fast.

Ulrich took up his strength and threw the javelin straight at one of the Shielders. It pierced right through the metal chest area and fell backwards sparking everywhere. The monsters hesitated for a moment but then began to fire back. They fired multiple lasers at Ulrich, forcing him to run from the gym. The monsters chased after him still shooting their lasers.

Ulrich: Well that didn't work. I'm gonna have to find some other way to deal with these creeps. But what?

Ulrich couldn't think of anything, so he kept running and trying to dodge the deadly laser beams.

* * *

**Boulogne-Billancourt-Belpois Residence**

Meanwhile, Yumi, William, Odd, and Aelita were still stuck inside Aelita's house. Odd took another looks out the front window and could see that the monsters were still outside. However, Odd noticed that they were looking around as if they were confused. He also saw that Aelita's car was sitting in the driveway. This gave Odd an idea.

Odd: Hmmm...I think I have a way to get Aelita to the factory.

William: I hope it's a good one Odd.

Odd: Here me out guys. Ok, at this moment if we just try and run to the factory, those monsters will destroy us in a moment. But, if Yumi, William, and I can distract them for just a moment, Aelita can take her car and drive to the factory. That way, she'll get there quicker instead of trying to run her way there.

Yumi: That's a good plan, but how are we going to distract them? We have no weapons on us at all.

Odd: Uhhhh...I don't know...I didn't think about that yet.

William: Way to think about you idiot!

Odd: Well do you have a better idea?!

Aelita: That's enough!

That shut the two bickering friends right up.

Aelita: I have a better idea. It's risky, but if we all run out to the car, we can all get in and we'll use the car to push our way past them and get to the factory. Any questions?

No one answered.

Aelita: I know it's a risky call, but what other choice do we have?

Yumi: None at this point. Let's do it.

The four friends all gathered around the front door with Aelita holding onto the handle. Odd took one last look out the window at the monsters and the car. The car was about 10 feet from the front door and the monsters were at the end of the driveway out in the street.

Odd: If we're quick, I think we can make it.

Aelita: Then on 3. 1...2...3!

Aelita flew open the front door and she and the 3 warriors sprinted outside towards the car. The monsters saw them leave the house and immediately started shooting their lasers at them. Most of the shots hit the house, leaving holes in the brick foundation and wooden walls, as well as shattering the windows on impact. But the warriors kept running and soon made it to Aelita's car. They all piled in as fast as they could as Aelita started the engine and reversed out of the driveway and running over a few of the monsters before speeding off towards the factory.

Yumi: Whew! Man, that was a rush! At least we made it in one piece.

Aelita: Consider ourselves lucky for now, but who knows what kind of damage XANA's monsters have done to the factory.

* * *

**Sewer Line below the Factory**

Meanwhile, Jeremy and the gang had arrived at the ladder leading up towards the bridge of the factory.

Jeremy: Once we get up there, we better be fast in getting to the lab, because if XANA keeps materializing his monsters, they'll infest the factory so much to the point where we have to retreat.

All: Got it!

Jeremy: Ok, let's go.

So Jeremy climbed up the ladder with the gang of young warriors following close behind him. However, as soon as they were all on the bridge, they were greeted by big surprise.

Jeremy: Ok, well I didn't see that coming.

Jeremy and the gang had arrived too late. The monsters were now heavily guarding the entrance to the factory ruining any chance of the warriors getting to Lyoko. The monsters all saw them and got into the firing stance. In the unknown world of Lyoko, the misting being was watching the warriors cowering at the sight of the monsters through an interface.

?: Heh heh, they'll never get through now. Give up warriors! You're time has come to an end!

Mariah: Now how are we gonna get in?!

Suddenly, the warriors and the monsters all heard the sound of screeching tires. The misty figure heard it to through the interface.

?: What? What's going on? What is that sound?!

The warriors looked behind them and gasped as they saw a car coming straight towards them with tremendous speed. Jeremy got a good look at the vehicle and gasped as realization dawned upon him.

Jeremy: That Aelita's car.

And it was. Aelita, Yumi, Odd, and William were speeding towards the factory when they saw the monsters guarding the entrance. Aelita turned to the 3 warriors.

Aelita: You guys thinking what I'm thinking?

Yumi, Odd, William: Yep.

Aelita: JUMP!

The warriors opened the car doors and leaped out of the speeding vehicle leaving it to hurl towards the monsters. Jeremy and the gang could see the car coming and quickly jumped out the way. The monsters however weren't so lucky as the car, which was still traveling at a high rate of speed, crashed straight through the blockade before tumbling to the ground below. Jeremy, Aelita, and the rest of the warriors got back to their feet after their sudden miss.

Jeremy: EVERYONE, NOW'S OUR CHANCE!

The warriors all sprinted inside the factory and swung down the ropes towards the elevator. The misty figure could not believe it.

?: NO! IMPOSSIBLE! HOW COULD BREAK MY BARRICADE!?

The misty figure watched them as the descended towards the lab.

?: I will not let them win!

He then began tapping on the interface with his foggy hand. A program began running and after a few seconds, an lock icon appeared on the screen. The figure tapped the icon and the lock locked itself.

?: That should keep them from foiling my plans.

In the computer lab, Jeremy quickly went to the computer and began typing various commands on the keyboard. The warriors gathered around him to watch.

Jeremy: This isn't good. XANA's using all 3 scanners to bring his monsters to Earth.

Jonah: Can you try and stop them?

Jeremy: I can try. Give me a few seconds.

So Jeremy kept typing away at the keyboard to try and deactivate the scanners. He typed in the command to stop them, but instead of the scanners shutting down, a lock icon appeared on the screen. Jeremy gasped.

Jeremy: No...no no NO!

Aelita: What is it?

Jeremy: I can't deactivate the infected scanners. There's a firewall that's blocking me from doing so. XANA must have created it to keep us from getting to Lyoko!

William: Well...what does that mean?

Jeremy: Without the scanners, we can't get to Lyoko and XANA will keep sending his monsters to Earth.

* * *

**Trying something a little different here. This is the first of 2 chapters that I will be uploading today. Hope you enjoyed this first one, and keep reading on to find out what happens next.**


	33. Lyoko Christmas Part 5: Fighting Back

_Previously on Code Lyoko: New Youth_

_Aelita:__ Jeremy, we're in trouble. XANA has sent his monsters to Earth and they're attacking the whole city. And what's worse, they've surrounded the house and now William, Odd, Yumi, and I are trapped. Where are you all now?_

_Jeremy:__ Everyone but Matthew is with me. We're going to try and sneak our way around the monsters and get to the factory. Hopefully he hasn't done much damage to the place._

_00000000_

_Brandon:__ I gotta say, that was pretty amazing what you just did out there._

_Matthew:__ Thanks, but there's no time for that now. Take the chainsaw and help me deal with these things._

_Brandon:__ Is there a weak spot anywhere on those monsters?_

_Matthew:__ Anywhere is a weak point. Just give it a good solid hit and it should fall._

_00000000_

_Odd:__ Here me out guys. Ok, at this moment if we just try and run to the factory, those monsters will destroy us in a moment. But, if Yumi, William, and I can distract them for just a moment, Aelita can take her car and drive to the factory. That way, she'll get there quicker instead of trying to run her way there._

_Aelita:__ I have a better idea. It's risky, but if we all run out to the car, we can all get in and we'll use the car to push our way past them and get to the factory. I know it's a risky call, but what other choice do we have?_

_00000000_

_Jeremy:__ No...no no NO!_

_Aelita:__ What is it?_

_Jeremy:__ I can't deactivate the infected scanners. There's a firewall that's blocking me from doing so._

_William:__ Well...what does that mean?_

_Jeremy:__ Without the scanners, we can't get to Lyoko and XANA will keep sending his monsters to Earth._

* * *

**_Chapter 33: Lyoko Christmas Part 5: Fighting Back_**

**Abandoned Factory-Computer Lab**

William: Well, can't you break through the firewall?

Jeremy: I can try, but I'm gonna need some time. For now, let's hope that XANA is slow at materializing his monsters to Earth.

Aelita: How long do you think it will take you?

Jeremy: I'm not really sure. Hopefully just a couple of minutes.

Alexis: Not to sound pushy Mr. Belpois, but I hope you hurry because need I remind you that Matthew, Brandon, and Coach Ulrich are back at Kadic trying to defend the school?

Jeremy: Well in that case I better hurry.

* * *

**Kadic Academy-Cafeteria**

Back at Kadic, Matthew and Brandon were outside trying to fend off the monsters. At first they were doing well because the number of monsters that were attacking were quite small. But as time went on, the monsters just kept coming and coming. The two students tried their best to hold them off, but were growing rather weary from all it all. Eventually, the upper hand that they had now went to the monsters. One of the Tarantulas fired its laser right at them. Luckily, they jumped out of the way just in time, missing the blast by mere inches. They got back to their feet as quick as they could, but at the rate they were going right now, they wouldn't last much longer. The students that were in the cafeteria were watching them battle hoping and prayer that this nightmare would end soon.

Brandon: *panting* Where...where are these things...coming from?

Matthew: I don't know but...at this rate...we won't last...but we have to keep trying.

They gathered up as much strength as they possibly could and charged at the monsters once again. Matthew swung his tomahawk at a Tarantula then swung it back at a Shielder destroying both of them. While Brandon sliced his way through 2 Tigers and a Shielder with his mini chainsaw. The monsters kept coming however, but Brandon and Matthew weren't ready to back down now.

Meanwhile, Ulrich was able to get enough distance between he and monsters chasing after him and made it to the boiler room. He looked around to see if he could find anything for him to use as a weapon to fend off the monsters. He saw a few metal robs laying on the floor as well as a couple of crowbars.

Ulrich: I don't think those would work very well. Man I wish I had that...

*CLANK*

Ulrich: ...What the...

Ulrich looked down and saw that his foot had kicked a nail gun. The very nail gun that Jim used to help save himself and Yumi back when XANA first invaded Earth with the Kankrelats and when Jeremy first materialized Aelita with the help from Jim after Jeremy hurt his ankle. But Ulrich also noticed that there were 4 nail guns laying in a pile on the floor.

Ulrich: Heh, now that's what I call good luck.

He picked up 2 nail guns and made his way back outside. Meanwhile, the monsters were trying to find Ulrich after he got away. They just passed by the boiler room when suddenly...

Ulrich: *whistles* Yoo-hoo, looking for me?

The monsters turned around and saw Ulrich charging at them firing one of the nail guns, with the other in his pocket for later. He fired a few nails at the monsters and was able to knock out 3 of the at least 15 monsters that were chasing him. They began to retaliate and fire their lasers back, but Ulrich ducked behind a tree and began sniping them from there. He knocked out a couple more, while the monsters kept firing their lasers in his general direction, but failing to hit the tree, giving Ulrich the chance to keep fighting back. But he knew that he couldn't keep it up for long, because he still had a limited supply of nails in both guns. And he knew that if he ran out of nails, he would be done for.

Ulrich: I hope Aelita deactivates that tower soon. And I hope that Matthew and Brandon are alright.

* * *

**Lyoko-Unknown Location**

The misty being cackled loudly as he watched Ulrich, Matthew, and Brandon struggle against the monsters.

?: HA HA HA! It won't be long now. Soon those warriors will be destroyed and I will be the supreme ruler of the world!

He laughed evilly at his progress. Then suddenly, the interface began to show an alarm. The figure looked at what was on the screen and gasped in horror as he saw that the firewall was being tampered with.

?: WHAT? NO!

Jeremy: HA HA! SUCCESS!

In the computer lab, Jeremy had been able to break through the firewall preventing him from deactivating the infected scanners. He immediately began typing in various commands on the keyboard and a few seconds later, the scanners began to shut down. The figure could not believe it.

?: NO! HOW DID HE BREAK THROUGH?!

Jeremy: I did it. The scanners have been deactivated. Now all I need to do is running a recovery program and then restart the scanners and BOOM they'll be ours to use again.

Odd: Nice work Einstein!

It didn't take Jeremy very long to get the recovery program up and running and a few moments later, he pressed ENTER and the scanners roared back to life now free for the warriors to use.

Jeremy: There we go guys. The scanners are back online. Now, Yumi, Odd, and William, I need you 3 to stay here and guard the scanners just in case they start spawning more of XANA's monsters.

William: Got it.

Jeremy: The rest of you, get down to the scanner room and get ready for virtualization.

All: Yes sir!

So Aelita and the young warriors descended into the scanner room and prepared to face XANA's forces yet again.

* * *

**Lyoko-Ice Sector**

Jeremy: Virtualization!

Natalie, Gary, and Mariah dropped down into the Ice Sector joining Jonah, Alexis, and Aelita. Jeremy brought up the OverBuggy and OverCopter for them. Gary and Mariah jumped into the OverBuggy while Alexis and Jonah jumped in the OverCopter. Natalie summoned her new fairy wings that Matthew helped program as well as Aelita calling up her Angelic Wings.

Jeremy: The tower should be straight in front of you.

Aelita: There it is.

The warriors looked and sure enough, the tower was standing just in front of them.

Gary: Well let's hit it!

So the warriors drove off and flew off towards the tower.

Natalie: I just realized something. We'll all get to use our new abilities for the first time in battle.

Mariah: Nice! I can't wait to use my new Control Beam.

Jeremy: Well Mariah, looks like you're going to get your chance because XANA has sent you all a whole army of monsters.

And he was right. From behind the tower came 3 Megatanks. And from behind a few icebergs came 5 Krabs and 5 Tarantulas.

Jonah: Hey, none of the new monsters this time. XANA must have used them all up just sending them to Earth.

Jeremy: Either way guys, be careful and be quick. Use your new abilities to you advantage.

Alexis: LET'S DO THIS!

Alexis flew her chopper closer towards the monsters and with Jonah manning the machine guns, he fired multiple rounds at them, but was only able to hit one Krab. She flew back around and tried again, but missed this time. The Tarantulas fired back at them and hit the OverCopter multiple times, causing it to be devirtualized. Jonah and Alexis fell to the icy floor below and landed hard. Luckily for them they weren't very high up, but still lost about 40 lifepoints.

Alexis: Here's our chance to use our new powers. INVISIBILITY!

Alexis disappeared right in front of the Tarantulas faces. The 4-legged spiders scanned around the area, but couldn't pick up any trace of her. What they didn't know was that she had run up behind one of them and used her now invisible short sword to stab the Eye of XANA to destroy it and use her 6 daggers to destroy 2 more. While Jonah ran up to one of the last two Tarantulas. The monsters fired more shots at him, but failed to lay a single blow. Jonah decided to try and gain a few more lifepoints for himself.

Jonah: ABSORPTION!

He swung his War Axe at the XAXNA Eye of the Tarantula and the orange pulses began to come up from the monster and into Jonah. Jonah held his axe in the eye as long as he could feeling the rush of energy surge through his body as his lifepoints regenerated themselves. Soon, he had to let go and jump out of the way before the Tarantula exploded. He then heard the last of the Tarantulas begin to fire at him. He turned around and saw them last one. He sprinted his way towards it and with one final swing, he struck the Eye of XANA and destroyed the last of the Tarantulas.

Alexis: REAPPEAR!

Jonah: Well that worked well.

Jeremy: Good work you two. Yumi, Odd, William, anything happening with the scanners?

Odd: Nothing to report Jeremy. All is quiet.

Jeremy: That's good. I just hope it stays that way.

Meanwhile, the misty figure was trying to comprehend what was happening.

?: No, this can't be. I will not lose! NOT TODAY!

The figure brought up another program on the interface. It appeared to be some sort of materialization program similar to that of Aelita's back when she was trapped on Lyoko. It also had the image of a Tarantula on it.

?: I'll stop those 3 fools in the scanner room once and for all!

He tapped to screen to begin running the program. The Tarantula began to be materialize, much to the figure's delight. But suddenly, just as it was about to be fully materialized...it stopped.

?: What? But how?

The figure tried running the program again, but nothing happened.

?: No...why won't it work.

The answer couldn't have been clearer. While the warriors were fighting on Lyoko, Jeremy had run a program to prevent the monsters being materialized to Earth. However, the misty figure didn't know that. He yelled in anger at his failure.

Back over at Kadic, Brandon and Matthew were now at their weakest. The monsters had stopped coming from all sides, but they were too tired to even notice. The Tarantulas, Tigers, and Shielders had them both backed up to the cafeteria wall and surrounded. The monsters got into their fighting stances and fired at shot straight at Matthew's left knee and Brandon's right arm. They screamed in pain as the monsters got ready to fire again. The students inside the building feared for their lives as they watched the horror unfold in front of them.

Outside of the boiler room, Ulrich was still trying to hold off the monsters. However, he had run out of nail in one of his nail guns and now was done to just one gun left. He was still standing behind the tree, with the monsters still firing multiple rounds at him. Ulrich occasionally poked his head out to fire more nails at them and occasionally knocked a few out. But with the low amount of ammo he had, he was starting to get desperate. The monsters fired a few shots at the tree's truck. The tree creaked and groaned, but Ulrich didn't seem to notice at all.

Back at Lyoko...

Gary: BANZAI!

Gary and Mariah came charging at the Krabs at a high rate of speed. At the last second, they jumped straight out of the OverBuggy and the vehicle crashed straight into 2 of the Krabs, sending them flying backwards and destroying themselves on impact. The two young warriors got back to their feet after their little tumble.

Mariah: What do you say we try out our new powers?

Gary: I say, I thought you'd never ask. SUPER SPRINT!

Gary sprinted over towards one of the 3 remaining Krabs and began to run circles around it very fast. The Krab tried to keep up with him, but it was no good. The Krab has lost pace with Gary, which gave him the chance to jump up on it's top and jab his iron tipped boomerangs in the XANA Eye and explode. Gary then ran towards another Krab and did the same thing to it. However this time, he didn't attack, instead Mariah saw her chance to attack. She took out one of her guns and pointed it at the distracted Krab.

Mariah: CONTROL BEAM!

Mariah fired the pink glowing laser beam at the Krab and it hit right in the front of it. The Krab soon began to glow pink as well as Mariah. The Krab tried to fight it off, but to no avail. Using her thoughts, Mariah guided the Krab over to the last remaining Krab. Mariah then controlled it to begin firing at it. The Krab was confused as to what was going on, but before it had a chance to attack the hypnotized Krab, Mariah fired one last laser at it and struck the Eye of XANA and destroyed it easily. Gary then came sprinting up behind it and jabbed his boomerangs at the Eye and destroyed the last of the Krabs.

Mariah: Whew, that was awesome!

Gary: You're telling me.

Meanwhile, Aelita and Natalie were flying all over the place dodging the Megatanks powerful blasts. From the air, Natalie could see that the Megatanks were close to the Digital Sea. This gave her an idea as she swooped back down to the ground and brought out her twin katanas. She focused her energy on them until they glowed white. One of the 3 Megatanks began to charge up its laser and was ready to fire. But it never got the chance.

Natalie: WIND SLASH!

Natalie swiped her blades quick and the white X-shaped wind blast hit the Megatank dead center of the Eye and forced to roll backwards and off the edge into the Digital Sea. Suddenly, the second Megatank fired it laser at her, but she was able to jump out of the way just in time. She got back to her feet as the Megatank charged up its laser once again. It was so focused on Natalie, that it didn't see Aelita floating above it.

Aelita: ENERGY FIELD!

Aelita fired and Energy Field at the distracted monster and hit it dead center, destroying it instantly. Now only one Megatank was remaining. This time, all 6 warriors were marching up towards it. The Megatank didn't know what to do next. The 6 warriors surrounded the monster and Aelita got down on her knees and the sound of soft angelic melodies could be heard all around. Suddenly, a hole below the Megatank began to form. The Megatank was helpless as the hole gave way and the monster plummeted down into the Digital Sea. The warriors had done it once again.

Jeremy: Well done everyone! Everything ok in the scanner room?

Yumi: Everything's clear here.

William: Good work everyone!

Jeremy: Ok princess. You know what to do.

Aelita slowly entered the tower and walked towards the center of the platform. Back on Earth, Matthew and Brandon had been hit multiple times by the monster's lasers and couldn't take another hit. Ulrich was still hiding behind the tree with the monsters still shooting at it. Suddenly, he heard the creaking noises from the tree. He looked up and gasped as he saw the tree come falling towards him. He took off as fast as he could to try and avoid it. Then, he caught his foot on a tree root and fell to the ground. He looked up. The tree was coming at him at great speed. He shut his eyes, anticipating the worst.

Aelita entered Code: Lyoko on the interface. The monsters at Kadic suddenly began to grow weak. The fell limp and fell to the ground. Brandon was confused by the sudden change, but Matthew knew what happened.

Matthew: They did it.

Brandon: Who did what?

Matthew: Sorry Brandon, but you won't remember any of this is a second.

Brandon: What do you mean?

Ulrich had his eyes shut tightly as the tree came falling towards him. But then suddenly, the creaking noise stopped. Ulrich slowly opened his eyes and saw that the tree had frozen in place. He then looked behind the tree and saw that all the monsters had fell to the ground.

Ulrich: Just in time Aelita...just in time.

Aelita: Tower deactivated.

The aura around the tower changed from red to blue once again as Jeremy pressed ENTER.

Jeremy: Return to the past now!

* * *

**Friday-12:00 PM**

**Kadic Academy-Cafeteria**

Matthew: Well guys, that was an interesting way to begin Christmas Vacation.

Gary: Boy I'll say. Let's hope XANA can keep his ugly face away from us for a couple of weeks.

Natalie: By the way Matt, how did it go with you and Brandon back there.

Matthew: We were nearly overrun if Mrs. Belpois hadn't deactivated that tower in time. We did pretty well for a couple of rivals, but in the end, he won't remember a thing. So we're back to being the rivals that we were before.

The gang laughed a bit. Brandon was sitting by himself at a table. He was enjoying his lunch when suddenly, he felt his head pounding in pain. Just then, the flashbacks came back. Only this time, they were different.

* * *

**_Brandon's Flashback_**

_Matthew:__ What are you doing here?_

_Brandon:__ I'm here to help you. Look, I don't know what those things are and what they're doing here, but if you guys know something about how to take them out, then I'm willing to put my differences between you and me aside and help you Matt._

_Matthew:__ Ok Brandon, I'm willing to put my differences between us aside as well._

_00000000_

_Brandon:__ I gotta say, that was pretty amazing what you just did out there._

_Matthew:__ Thanks, but there's no time for that now. Take the chainsaw and help me deal with these things._

_Brandon:__ Is there a weak spot anywhere on those monsters?_

_Matthew:__ Anywhere is a weak point. Just give it a good solid hit and it should fall._

_Brandon:__ Alright, let's do this!_

_00000000_

_Matthew:__ They did it._

_Brandon:__ Who did what?_

_Matthew:__ Sorry Brandon, but you won't remember any of this is a second._

_Brandon:__ What do you mean?_

* * *

Brandon: It happened again...but they were different this time. What is happening to me?

Brandon was left even more confused as the pain in his head began to die down.

* * *

**Lyoko-Unknown Location**

?: No...no...no...NO! HOW COULD THEY HAVE FOILED MY PLANS AGAIN?!

The misty figure was angry at his failure to eliminate the warriors. A bright red aura pulsed around him as he breathed in and out with anger.

?: THOSE WARRIORS HAVE FOILED MY PLANS FOR TOO LONG NOW! I MUST DESTROY THEM!

The being looked down at itself. Last time, the figure had red and black trimming metal armored boots replacing his foggy feet. Now he had a red and black trimming armored chestplate as well as gray armored gloves with black gauntlets with red spikes coming out of them. He chuckled in his demonic tone.

?: It seems that I may have to accelerate my plans a bit. All that's left to program is my face. And soon, I will come to maximum power and will destroy those Lyoko warriors and everything that stands in my way of ruling this world!

* * *

**Here's the 2nd chapter I'm uploading today and thank goodness it's the last part of the Lyoko Christmas series. I may not have had the motivation to keep doing this, but I dug down deep and did it anyway. And you wanna know why, because it was for you guys. My loyal readers and followers. Thank you so much for sticking with me through this. You guys are amazing. Hope you all enjoyed. And remember to leave a review, follow and favorite if you want more. :D**

**Thanks again! And as always, FakeACU83 OUT!**


	34. The New Girl

_**Chapter 34: The New Girl**_

**7:00 AM Monday Morning-January**

**Front gates of Kadic**

One cool early morning, a sleek, black BMW rolled to a stop outside of the front gates of Kadic. The driver door opened and out stepped a woman who looked to be about 34 years old and hair long black hair and brown eyes and wore a pink shirt that showed a bit of her stomach, blue jeans, red shoes, and a white leather jacket around her. A moment later, the passenger side door opened and out stepped a young girl that looked to be about 14 years old. She also had long black hair and brown eyes, but her hair was tied up in a long ponytail. She wore a light blue shirt with a picture of a white daisy on the front, white jeans, and gray shoes, and had on a light gray sweatshirt to keep her from the chilly morning breeze. The woman began walking towards the building with the young girl in tow.

Girl: So this is the school that you went to Auntie?

Woman: Yep this is the one. I had so many memories here. I'll have to tell you about them.

Girl: Maybe some other time.

Woman: Now don't be rude young lady.

Girl: Sorry Auntie.

Woman: It's okay. Now let's find Mr. Hamilton, the principle.

The two girls traveled through the many hallways of Kadic Academy. The hallways weren't very crowded, due to the fact that the students were already at breakfast. They all had returned from their vacation yesterday afternoon. It didn't take them long to find the principle's office. The woman tapped on the door and waited for a reply. A few seconds later...

Mr. Hamilton: Enter!

The two girls entered the office and Mr. Hamilton greeted them warmly.

Mr. Hamilton: Ah, you must be our new student Stephanie Delmas.

Stephanie: That's me.

Mr. Hamilton then turned his attention to the woman.

Mr. Hamilton: And you must be Elizabeth Delmas.

Sissi: I like to be called Sissi. I hate being called Elizabeth. And yes I am and I'm also the daughter of the former principle of Kadic, Jean-Pierre Delmas.

Mr. Hamilton: I see. Well Stephanie, here is your schedule.

He handed her a sheet of paper with her classes listed.

Mr. Hamilton: Now unfortunately, I will not be able to show you to your room or around the school, for I have a very important meeting with the teachers and staff in a matter of 5 minutes in fact. But, I will not let you get yourself lost trying to find your way around here. So, if you may follow me please and I'll find you someone who can show you around. Mrs. Sissi, you are free to go.

Sissi: Very well sir. Have fun at your new school Stephanie.

Stephanie: Bye Aunt Sissi, see you soon.

As Sissi was about to leave, there was another knock at the door.

Mr. Hamilton: Enter!

The door opened and revealed Jeremy and Ulrich who had arrived for the meeting.

Jeremy: Morning Mr. Hamilton, we're here for...

Jeremy stopped what he was saying as he and Ulrich were stunned to see someone that they haven't seen in 20 years.

Jeremy: Well I'll be darn.

Ulrich: Sissi?!

Sissi: Ulrich! Jeremy! How are things?

Jeremy: Things have been well.

Ulrich: What are you doing here?

Sissi: I'm here to help my niece Stephanie enroll here.

She motioned to where Stephanie was sitting in front of Mr. Hamilton's desk. Mr. Hamilton was quite confused.

Mr. Hamilton: Jeremy, Ulrich, you both know this woman?

Jeremy: Yes sir.

Ulrich: Believe it or not, she was in our graduating class 20 years ago.

Mr. Hamilton: Is that right? Small world isn't it? Anyway, Jeremy I was about to go and get ready for the meeting. Can you do me a favor and quickly escort to Stephanie to the cafeteria? I want Stephenson to show her to her room and show her around the academy.

Jeremy: I'm on it Mr. Hamilton. Stephanie, follow me to the cafeteria.

Stephanie rose from her chair and walked out of Mr. Hamilton's office with Sissi leaving following her heading for her car. Jeremy was about to walk out of the office when Ulrich suddenly grabbed his should and whispered something in Jeremy's ear.

Ulrich: *whispering* Why is Sissi being nice all of the sudden?

Jeremy: *whispering* Don't you remember? We said we would be nice to her if she stops messing with us after we did the last return to the past all those years ago.

Ulrich: *whispering* Oh yeah I remember. Well I hope Stephanie isn't gonna be like Sissi with our young warriors.

Jeremy: *whispering* We shall see my friend. We shall see. Oh and while I'm at it, I need to tell them that it's time for their group training on Lyoko. And since the meeting goes until after lunch, after the meeting, I need you, Odd, William, Yumi, and Aelita to meet me at the factory. I got something planned for you guys on Lyoko as well.

Ulrich: Ok, we'll tell them afterwards.

Ulrich let go of his shoulder as Jeremy left the office and guided young Stephanie to the cafeteria.

* * *

**Kadic Academy-Cafeteria**

A few minutes later, Jeremy guided Stephanie to the cafeteria, which was like normal filled with students eating their breakfast. Jeremy looked around to see if he could see Matthew anywhere. It didn't take him long to find him and the gang sitting at their normal table.

Jeremy: Ah there he is. Come with me Stephanie, I found your tour guide.

Jeremy lead Stephanie over to the gang's table. Unknown the Jeremy, all of the boys in the cafeteria noticed the new girl walking in and they couldn't help but stare. To them, they all thought that she was the most beautiful girl they have ever seen. Stephanie noticed this and decided to have a little fun. She gave them loving stares and occasionally giving them a flirty wink or two making the guy's hearts melt like butter. The only ones who weren't paying much attention was the gang. That is, until they saw that all of the guys were acting weird all of the sudden. It was then they saw Stephanie sauntering up towards their table following Jeremy.

Natalie: After seeing all the boy's looks, I think this new girl could be trouble.

Jonah: you never know Nat. Who knows, maybe she's real cool.

Natalie: Well...maybe.

But Natalie kept her doubts to herself as Jeremy walked up.

Jeremy: Good morning everyone. I hope you all enjoyed your vacation.

Mariah: We did sir, but in all honesty, it was too short of a vacation.

Jeremy chucked a bit.

Jeremy: Yes well, moving right along. I would like to introduce Kadic Academy's newest student Stephanie Delmas. She will be attending school here and I would like you Matthew to help find her room and show her around the school to help her learn the layout before the school year resumes tomorrow. I would do it myself, but I, along with Coach Ulrich and the other teachers and staff, have an important meeting with the principle in...approximately 2 minutes. So, could you do me a favor and help me out?

Matthew: Sure thing Mr. Belpois. I'd be happy to.

Jeremy: Fantastic. Well I'll leave you two to it.

Matthew stood from his chair and extended his hand out to Stephanie.

Matthew: Nice to meet you Stephanie. My name's Matthew Stephenson.

Stephanie blushed for a moment before accepting Matthew's hand and shaking it gently.

Stephanie: Matthew Stephenson huh? Heh, my first name and your last name almost sound alike.

Matthew: Heh, they do don't they. Anyway, welcome to Kadic Academy. Do you want any breakfast before we start the tour?

Stephanie: No thanks. I already ate before my Aunt dropped me off here.

Matthew: Very well. Do you need any help with your bags?

Stephanie: Could you help me carry this one suitcase please?

She handed him a black suitcase. It was a little heavy, but Matthew didn't mind.

Matthew: Right, let's find your room.

He turned to his friends.

Matthew: I'll see you guys later on today.

Gary: See ya mate!

The gang watched Matthew and Stephanie leave the cafeteria.

Alexis: Maybe you were right Jonah. She does seem pretty cool.

Jonah: Told ya so.

However, none of them seemed to notice the growing jealously on Natalie's face. Everyone...except Brandon, who was sitting on the far side of the cafeteria, but saw the whole thing with Stephanie and Matthew. He grinned slyly as he started to hatch a plan. Jeremy was just about to leave the cafeteria as well until he suddenly remembered something.

Jeremy: Drat!

Natalie: What's the matter sir?

Jeremy: I forgot to tell you all that after lunch, I need you to meet me over at the factory. It's time for your group training on Lyoko. I was going to tell Matthew as well, but I didn't want to say it in front of Stephanie and risk losing our secret. So can you all tell him when you next see him?

Jonah: Sure thing sir.

Jeremy: Great. Well, off to the meeting with me!

* * *

**Kadic Academy-Stephanie's Room**

Thanks to Matthew's knowledge of the campus, he was able to help Stephanie locate her new dorm room. The room was about the same size as his and had a similar furniture on the inside as his room.

Matthew: Well here we are. And here is your bag.

He set down her black suitcase as Stephanie gazed around her new room.

Matthew: Now I will tell you that breakfast starts at 7:00 AM with classes starting at 8:00 AM. Then lunch is at 12:00 PM and dinner is at 7:00 PM. And curfew begins at 10:00 PM and weekend's are free days for us as usual. Think you got all that?

Stephanie: Yep...I got it.

As Stephanie set her bags in her closet, she couldn't help but enjoy the company she was getting and started to grow attracted to him the more and more she looked at him. Matthew didn't seem to notice this at all.

Stephanie: _(to himself) A handsome guy like him deserves a pretty girl like me._

Matthew: So, if you would follow me and I'll show you around the school.

Stephanie snapped out of her little day dream and followed Matthew out the door. She followed Matthew all over the school as he showed her each of the classrooms, as well as the track and field area, the gymnasium, the park, the recreation room, and everything in between. By the time that Matthew completed the tour, it was nearly lunchtime and his stomach growling proved it.

Matthew: Good grief, I'm hungry. Well it is about lunchtime, so for the last leg of the tour, I'll show you the way to the cafeteria.

Stephanie: That sounds nice.

Matthew lead her towards the cafeteria. By the time they arrived, the whole place almost full. They quickly got their trays of food and Matthew went towards his usual table. However, the rest of the gang wasn't there, but Matthew knew why.

Matthew: Huh, they must be running late. No problem, I can wait for them.

While Matthew was waiting for his friends to show up, Stephanie was trying to find a table herself, but sadly she could barely find an open seat. She continued to scan around the massive lunchroom to try and find a seat, then stumbled upon Matthew sitting by himself. This gave her an idea.

Stephanie: Well he was nice enough to give me a tour of the place, so I don't see why he wouldn't want me to sit with him.

She walked over to him and the empty table and stopped beside him.

Stephanie: Hey Matt.

Matthew: Oh hey Stephanie.

Stephanie: You look pretty lonely over here. Mind if I sit with you?

She gave him a teasing smile, which made Matthew a little uncomfortable.

Matthew: Uh...well...I was actually saving these seats for my friends. They're running a little late getting her you see.

Stephanie: Oh that's okay, I'll just pull up a chair. Be right back.

Matthew: Bu...but...

But it was too late, Stephanie set her tray down and went over to the other side of the lunchroom where there was a small stack of spare chairs. As soon as she left, the rest of the gang arrived with their trays.

Alexis: Hey Matt!

Matthew: Oh hey guys. Took you long enough to get here.

Gary: Sorry mate, Jonah and I were trying to finish up a Foosball match that we had.

Matthew: Who won?

Jonah: *disappointed* Gary did.

Gary: That's right!

Matthew and the rest of the gang chuckled a bit as Gary pumped his fists in the air and Jonah sulked in shame. Then, Mariah noticed another tray of food sitting on the far side of their table.

Mariah: Hey Matt, who's sitting over there?

Matthew looked to where Mariah was pointing and groaned a bit as he knew who it was for. But before he could give her an answer.

Stephanie: I'm back Matt!

Stephanie returned with a spare chair and set it down in front of her. She took a seat in the chair and finally noticed that the gang had shown up.

Stephanie: Oh hello everyone. You must be Matthew's friends?

Natalie: Yeah...we are.

Stephanie didn't seem to notice the slight tone of distaste in Natalie's voice, but Matthew did.

Matthew: Anyway guys, this is Stephanie, as you may already know by now. Stephanie, these are my best friends, Gary, Jonah, Natalie, Alexis, and Mariah.

Stephanie: Nice to meet you all.

The gang gave her a wave, except for Natalie.

Mariah: So what did Matthew show you on the tour?

Stephanie: He showed me everything. The dorms, the park, the rec. room...everything! And he helped me unpack a little when we found my room. I like a man who's helpful.

Matthew and Natalie perked up when they heard her say that, and the gang noticed as well.

Alexis: Yeah, he's real helpful when it comes to his friends.

Stephanie: Exactly. I would love to have someone like that in my life.

She stared at Matthew with a flirty glare. Matthew blushed at the sight.

Matthew: What are you saying?

Stephanie grabbed a hold of his hand, making him jump slightly.

Stephanie: Matthew, how would you like to go out with the prettiest girl at Kadic?

There was a very awkward silence at the table. The gang looked over at Natalie, who had anger and jealously written all over her face. Stephanie waited for Matthew to reply, but was shocked when she felt Matthew's hand slip away from hers. She then saw Matthew wrap his arms around Natalie, to which Natalie felt much better, but still glared at Stephanie.

Matthew: I'm really sorry Stephanie, but I'm already in a relationship with Natalie. I have been for nearly 5 months now.

Stephanie: Oh...I see.

Stephanie felt crushed, but she also felt the same jealousy feeling as Natalie was feeling. And it only worsened when she saw Natalie planted a kiss on Matthew's cheek. What she didn't realize was Natalie quickly whispering something in his ear.

Natalie: *whispering* It's time for our group Lyoko training. I would suggest we go there now.

She pulled away from him as Matthew turned to face the rest of his friends.

Matthew: Guys, I just remembered that we have our study group to do in a few minutes.

He gave his friends a wink and they instantly knew what he meant. Stephanie didn't see the wink as the gang got up from their seats and took their trays back to the lunch counter and exit the cafeteria. The gang quickly went to the boiler room and snuck their way inside. They found the secret tunnel that lead to the sewers. After traveling through the sewers for a few minutes, they arrived at the ladder leading to the bridge. The 6 young warriors clambered up the ladder and ran towards the factory entrance before swinging down the ropes and into the old elevator. They descended down the shaft and entered the computer lab. They saw Jeremy sitting at the computer typing away at the keyboard.

Jeremy: Ah good you're all here. I'm glad Matthew got the memo.

Matthew: We're ready to begin our training.

Jeremy: Then head for the scanner room and get ready.

The gang descended down to the scanner room and the girls took their places first.

Jeremy: I'm sending you all to the Forest Sector for this training session. Transfer Natalie. Transfer Mariah. Transfer Alexis. Scanner Natalie. Scanner Mariah. Scanner Alexis. Virtualization!

* * *

**Lyoko-Forest Sector**

The girls dropped down into the Forest Sector moments later. But to their surprise, they saw that they were virtualized at the edge of the sector.

Alexis: Why are we at the edge of the sector Mr. Belpois?

Jeremy: Be patient. I'll explain everything soon.

Back in the scanner room, the guys took their turn.

Jeremy: Transfer Gary. Transfer Jonah. Transfer Matthew. Scanner Gary. Scanner Jonah. Scanner Matthew. Virtualization!

Soon, the boys dropped down between the girls.

Gary: We're all here sir! So what's the mission?

Jeremy: Right now, we have to wait for my friends to show up.

The gang gave each other confused looks.

Natalie: Why is that?

Jeremy: Because their going to be a part of this training session as well.

The gang were still confused as to what was going on. A few moments later, the elevator doors opened and out steppe Ulrich, Yumi, Aelita, Odd, and William.

Jeremy: Ah, good you guys are here. Head for the scanner room. The young ones are there already. Once you're there, I'll explain the plan.

The old warriors descended down to the scanner room and William, Odd, and Aelita took their place in the scanners.

Jeremy: Off to the Forest Sector with you. Transfer Odd. Transfer Aelita. Transfer William. Scanner Odd. Scanner Aelita. Scanner William. Virtualization!

The three warriors dropped down into the virtual forest. But something was a little off. They weren't virtualized beside the young warriors. Instead, they too were virtualized on the edge of the Forest Sector.

Odd: Uh Einstein, I think you virtualized us in the wrong place. The young ones aren't here anywhere.

Jeremy: That's because they're on the other side of the Forest. I separated you all for a reason. Give a second to send Yumi and Ulrich over and I'll explain everything.

Yumi and Ulrich took their place in the scanners next.

Jeremy: Transfer Yumi. Transfer Ulrich. Scanner Yumi. Scanner Ulrich. Virtualization!

Yumi and Ulirch dropped down into the Forest moments later.

Jeremy: Ok that's everyone. Now listen closely, because here's is the objective.

* * *

**Well I hope you all enjoyed this new chapter. A little longer chapter than the previous ones. But anyway, stay tuned to find out what the warrior's training mission is. And I also hope you all liked the newest character Stephanie. Stephanie was my design for a character, but my good friend and loyal idea mate pokemonking0924 suggested that she be the niece of Sissi. Thanks for that man! Anyway, hope you all enjoyed and stay tuned for more later on in the week.**

**And as always, FakeACU83 OUT!**


	35. Competition Time

**_Chapter 35: Competition Time_**

**Lyoko-Forest Sector**

Jeremy: This training will involve both generations of The Lyoko Warriors. Now, normally I would have you go find hidden activated towers and the destroy the monsters guarding it. Well this time, we're going to play ourselves a little competition between both generations.

This got the young and old warriors intrigued.

Aelita: What's you idea?

Jeremy: We're going to play a classic game of "Capture the Flag", but we're going to do it Lyoko Style. Hang on a second. Let me bring up your flags.

Jeremy tapped away at the keyboard and a second later, a flag was virtualized in front of both groups. The old warrior's flag was Jeremy's classic green color while the new warrior's flag had Mariah's pinkish color.

Ulrich: Since when were able to do that?

Jeremy: During my spare time on Christmas Vacation, I spent hours preparing this specific training program. From creating the flags to programming the commands for your monsters. Which by the way, here they come now.

Jeremy typed in a few more commands and moments later, a Tarantula dropped down in front of the two groups, a Manta flew up from nowhere, and a Krab dropped down in front of the old warriors, while a Creeper was spawned in front of the new warriors. Each of the monsters was glowing the same color as the team's flags.

Jeremy: These monsters in front of you are your allies. I specially programmed them to attack the opposing team when they are near your team's area. Which, may I add, took the longest amount of time to get right.

The warriors were most impressed.

William: Have to say, you really outdone yourself this time Jeremy.

Matthew: And I thought the abilities were hard to program, but these...must have been a real challenge.

Jeremy: Yes they were. You all have no idea how many hours I spent in my Study Hall working on all this. Well...except for you Aelita.

Aelita: Well I knew what you were working on must have been important, but I didn't know that you were working on this. At least you took breaks often to help me out with the Holidays and play with Maya like you should.

Jeremy: Yes well, moving right along. You all should already know that the object of the game is to steal the other team's flag and return it to your side. Well, this training session is basically the same thing. Except, this training exercise is to show your teamwork, coordination, and battle strategies without my help. And as for you young ones, without the help from your elders. You all have to work together if you want to succeed. Is that clear?

Old Warriors: Crystal clear!

Young Warriors: Yes sir!

Jeremy: Good. Now I separated the two groups for a reason. Each team is somewhere on the edge of the Forest Sector, which is where their flag is located. As I said before, it's your job, as a team, to steal the other team's flag and return it to your base. And before I forget, I'm not going to summon your vehicles. You all are going to have to get there the old fashioned way, without me guiding either team through the forest. I hope that is understood.

All: Yep!

Jeremy: Ok, now before we begin, I will give you all 2 minutes to develop a plan of attack. Starting...NOW!

Each group quickly huddled together. Over at the pink flag...

Matthew: Ok guys, here's what I have in mind. I suggest that we get our fastest ones here to go and find the flag, while the stronger ones remain here at the base to guard our flag along with the monsters. Gary, I know you're the quickest one out of all of us. So, will you do it?

Gary: You can count on me, but I'll need a little help.

Matthew: Ok now...let's see...Alexis, your Invisibility can be used to distract them and allow Gary some time to grab the flag, so go with him.

Alexis: Good thinking.

Matthew: Ok, and Mariah, if you can sneak your way close enough to their monsters, you can use your control beam to turn their monsters against them. Then they'll have to try and hold off their monsters as well as Gary and Alexis.

Mariah: Oooh, I like where this is going. I'm in.

Matthew: Right, as for the rest of us, me, Natalie, and Jonah will stay here and guard our territory along with our little monster friends. Sound good?

All: Yep!

Matthew: Looks like we got ourselves a plan. BREAK!

Meanwhile, over at the old warrior's area...

Ulrich: Ok guys listen up. We may have the disadvantage here. Our young competitors have new abilities and I have no doubt that they will try and use them against us. Plus, on top of that, their group is 6 members strong and we're only 5. So we need to go at this hard and fast, and I have just the plan. William, Aelita, and Yumi, you three stay here and guard our area with the monsters. Odd and I will head over to their area and try to grab their flag. Odd has the ability to climb the trees with his cat claws, so he'll be able to distract them from above while I sprint my way in and take their flag.

William: Why not take me? My Super Smoke makes me pretty stealthy.

Ulrich: I get that, but you have a massive butcher blade that can do enough damage to devirtualize them in one shot. You may be stealthy, but you also have a lot of strength, as do the girls.

William: Ok, point taken.

Ulrich: Good. We have our plan. BREAK!

Jeremy: TIME'S UP!

The two generations backed away from their huddle.

Jeremy: I hope you all have come up with your battle strategies.

Matthew: We got ours sir!

Ulrich: As do we!

Jeremy: Ok then. Before we get started, I got one more little thing to say. You are allowed to devirtualize opposing team members, because it wouldn't be a contest without someone getting eliminated.

Matthew: Sounds good to me!

Jeremy: Then get ready everyone. It's competition time! Time to resume Code: Training once again.

The two generations took their places as Jeremy began the countdown.

Jeremy: 3...2...1...GO!

Gary, Mariah, and Alexis took off away from their area while Ulrich and Odd ran off from their territory. What they didn't know, was that they were being watched. At both of the team's flag area's, from behind one of the many trees in the Forest Sector, a pair of large orange eyes were watching the warrior's every move. The eyes had a black Eye of XANA in each of them. In a tower far away from Lyoko, the misty figure was watching what the orange eyes were showing.

?: They may think they can stop me. Not when I release my newest creation.

Back on Lyoko, Gary, Mariah, and Alexis were making their way through the dense virtual forest to their elder's goal. While further away on the other side of the sector, Odd and Ulrich were trying to find their way towards their younger competitor's goals. They have both been running through the sector for a few minutes now. Although they didn't realize it, but both groups were nearly at the middle of the sector. This was where their teamwork and battling would be put to the test. Odd and Ulrich reached the middle of the sector in no time at all. They came to a crossroad that split off into 4 directions.

Ulrich: Hmm...which way should we go?

Odd: How should I know? For all we know, all 4 of those paths could lead to the edge of the sector, but only 1 will take us to their base.

Ulrich: Yeah good point...let's see...

Ulrich thought hard about which way to go for a few moments until he turned back to Odd.

Ulrich: Let's go down the third path. If that's not the right path, then we'll come back and try another one.

Odd: As long as we win, I'm with ya.

So Ulrich and Odd went down the third path, but suddenly Odd felt his cat ears twitch and skidded to a stop. Ulrich stopped and looked at Odd confused.

Ulrich: What's up Odd?

Odd: SHHHH!

Ulrich kept quiet as Odd looked around the sector.

Odd: ...I hear something. Sounds like footsteps.

This made Ulrich grab his twin blades immediately.

Ulrich: It must be our young friends. Quick, hide!

Ulrich hid behind one of the trees as best as he could while Odd used his claws to climb up another tree to keep himself hidden. Ulrich poked his head out from behind the tree and looked around. But he couldn't see the young warriors anywhere. He looked up to where Odd was scanning around the perimeter from above. Suddenly, Odd spotted Gary, Mariah, and Alexis come running up the first of the four paths. He turned his attention back down below to Ulrich. He pointed over to the path where he saw them. Ulrich understood his signal and took a look for himself. Sure enough, there they were coming up the path to the 4-way crossroad.

Ulrich: _(to himself) Well, Jeremy did say that we're allowed to devirtualize our opponents. After all, I want to win just as bad as anyone else does._

Ulrich looked back up at Odd and gave him a hand signal that told him to attack the young warriors full force. Odd understood what he meant and quickly and quietly jumped from tree to tree to position himself to attack. Meanwhile, the young warriors had arrived at the same crossroad as Ulrich and Odd and they too were faced with the same problem. Only for them, they had a choice of 2 ways to go.

Mariah: We have a 50/50 shot of choosing the right path.

Alexis: So what do you suggest?

Gary: I'm not quiet sure.

The three young warriors thought hard, completely unaware that Odd was right above them aiming his gauntlet right at them.

Mariah: Uhh...my guess is take the one of the right.

Odd: LASER ARROW!

Suddenly out of nowhere, the three young warriors were ambushed by a barrage of arrows. Lucky for them, they weren't hit as they scrambled behind some trees.

Gary: WE'RE BEING AMBUSHED!

Alexis: BUT FROM WHERE?!

They all looked around, but they couldn't see anything. Odd kept leaping from tree to tree to try and snipe out the warriors again. However, Odd jumped to another tree too early and saw below that Mariah had caught him hiding above their heads.

Mariah: UP THERE! MR. DELLA ROBBIA'S SHOOTING US FROM ABOVE!

Odd knew his cover had been blown, but he still stayed in the trees and fired blindly at them.

Gary: He thinks that he can hit us from up there? Well sorry to disappoint you sir, but I can snipe you out to!

Gary took out his duel boomerangs and prepared to throw them at Odd...

Ulrich: OH NO YOU DON'T! SUPER SPRINT!

...if it wasn't for Ulrich coming out of his hiding spot, sprinting towards Gary. Gary looked and quickly jumped out of the way as Ulrich tried slashing him with his swords. Ulrich sliced at him again and this time, hit him on his shoulders costing him 30 lifepoints. Ulrich was getting ready to attack again but was blocked when Gary raised his boomerangs above his face to stop his attack. Gary groaned as he held his ground against Ulrich, but he couldn't hold him for long.

Gary: I need backup!

Mariah and Alexis were trying to shoot Odd out of the trees when they heard Gary shout from behind them They looked and saw him struggling against Ulrich's blades. Alexis suddenly had an idea.

Alexis: Keep trying to get him out of the trees. I'll go help Gary!

Mariah: Make it quick!

Alexis: INVISIBILITY!

Ulrich didn't know that Alexis disappeared. He was too busy trying to beat Gary. He was able to break the grip from Gary's boomerangs and began to slice at him again. But Gary was quick like him also and was able to dodge his attacks. They didn't move much from their battle and this gave Alexis her chance to attack back. She brought out two of her daggers and snuck behind Ulrich and lightly tapped on his shoulder.

Alexis: Guess who.

Ulrich: Huh? GAH!

Alexis made 3 quick swipes with her daggers and did enough damage to ultimately devirtualize Ulrich.

Alexis: REAPPEAR!

Gary: Thanks Alexis. You really saved my bacon there.

Odd: LASER ARROW!

Odd saw what happened to Ulrich and decided to act back. He fired more arrows at Gary and Alexis. Gary was able to duck out of the way, but Alexis wasn't so lucky as several shots hit her in her chest area, devirtualizing her also.

Odd: Darn! I missed getting two birds with one stone.

Gary recovered to his feet a moment later, while in the scanner room, Ulrich and Alexis stepped out feeling drained. Ulrich looked over to the young warrior.

Ulrich: How did I not see that attack from you coming?

Alexis: The benefits of being invisible.

Ulrich groaned as he and Alexis ascended up the elevator to join Jeremy. Back on Lyoko, Odd was still trying to hit the young warriors from his spot in the trees, but having little success.

Odd: Man what is wrong with me today? Where's my A-game.

Mariah was down below trying to shoot Odd out of the trees, but was also not having any luck.

Mariah: Man I wish my power was able to control other warriors to.

After climbing back to his feet, Gary noticed that Mariah needed help. He saw that Odd was too busy trying to snipe out Mariah and this gave him a good opportunity to get him down. He took out one of his boomerangs and aimed it right at Odd. With one mighty throw, the boomerang spiraled up and around a few trees before making its way to Odd. However, Odd could sense something was coming and at the last minute, he jumped out of the tree and fell to the ground just missing getting hit by the boomerang. He then made ran down the path which the young warriors came from and never looked back.

Mariah: Oh no! Come on, we go to stop him!

Gary: It's too late now Mariah, he's long gone. But don't worry, with Coach Ulrich not here now, he'll have to deal with Matthew and them at our base. For now, we got a flag to find. My gut's telling me to take the path on the right.

Mariah: Well I hope your gut's right!

So the two young warriors ran down the path on the right hoping that they made the right choice. Back at the factory, Ulrich and Alexis arrived at the computer lab and joined Jeremy alongside the controls.

Jeremy: Quick update everyone. Ulrich and Alexis have just been devirtualized.

Matthew: Well there goes part of our sneak attack plan.

William: Well so much for being hard and fast.

Jeremy: That's just what happens. You've both just had some minor setbacks. Now regroup and move on.

Matthew: Be on your toes guys. Things may get a little rough.

William: Be prepared people. This might get interesting.

Back on Lyoko, Odd kept on running through the sector, not daring to look back. He knew with Ulrich now gone, he would have a hard time going for the flag all by himself. But he also had a plan in mind.

Odd: Sneak attacking from the trees seemed to work well, so I'll do the same thing for the rest of them when I get close to them.

After a few more minutes of running, Odd had come within range of the young warrior's base. He quickly dove behind one of the many trees in the area and took a peak at the base. He saw Matthew, Natalie, and Jonah all standing around their pink flag with their weapons in hand, while the Tarantula, Manta, and Creeper were guarding the path's entrance. Odd began to put his plan into action. He began to climb up the tree, trying to be as quiet as he possibly could. He stopped momentarily to take a look at the warriors. He saw that they still hadn't noticed his presence. He smirked to himself and continued climbing. Then...the one thing that he didn't want to happen...happened. He lost his footing for just a split a second and dropped a few feet. His claws dug into the bark of tree, making a sharp screeching sound that got the attention of the young warriors as well as their monsters.

Matthew: I'm not the only one who heard that right?

Natalie: I heard it to.

Jonah: So did I, but where did it come from and who was it?

The warriors looked around, but they couldn't see anybody there. Odd stood silent and still hoping that they would let it slide and continue guarding their flag. But, I'm sorry to say, that wasn't what happened. Matthew turned his attention to the Manta.

Matthew: Manta, investigate!

The Manta understood its orders and flew up towards the trees. It grew closer to where Odd was hiding. Odd tried his best to stay quiet, as the Manta stopped where it was. It looked to its right side and saw nothing. But when it looked to its left side, it gave a loud cry as the monster spotted Odd. Odd knew his cover was blown, so he leaped off the tree and fired his arrows at the Manta. But the Manta was quick to react and dodge his attacks and began to fire its laser back at him. The warriors watched what was unfolding in front of them. Natalie and Jonah were about to rush off and attack, but Matthew quickly stopped them.

Matthew: NO! We can't leave the flag unguarded. If we attack him, it will only give him the chance to slip through us and steal our flag.

Natalie and Jonah knew he was right and went back to guarding their post.

Matthew: We may as well let our monsters try and handle him. MONSTERS ATTACK!

The Tarantula and Creeper obeyed their commands and began marching towards Odd. Odd saw this and was mentally kicking himself for blowing his cover.

Odd: Stupid me for loosing my balance!

The Creeper began to slither up Odd's tree and began firing at him once it was face to face with him. Odd, in turn tried to activate his shield ability to block the lasers, but when he tried to bring it up, the purple shield just flickered on and off and disappeared. Odd was shocked and confused as to what just happened. Then, he was knocked back to reality as the Creeper shot him in his shoulder knocking him out of the tree and falling to the ground hard. He now had 40 lifepoints left in the bank. He was angry now.

Odd: Ok that's it! No more Mr. Nice Guy!

Odd began shooting more arrows at the monsters and was able to destroy the Creeper first when he saw it coming down the tree. He then turned his attention to the Tarantula that began firing its powerful laser at him. He also saw the Manta flying in towards him also. This gave him an idea. While dodging the shots from the Tarantula, Odd jumped off the path and landed on top of the Manta using his cat claws to control it. Even though the Manta was under the control of the young warriors, Odd still knew how to take control of it for his own use. The warriors saw this and couldn't believe it one bit as Odd brought the Manta above the Tarantula and did a straight nose dive towards it. At the very last second, Odd jumped off the Manta, as it collided straight into the Tarantula destroying them both in one shot. Odd skidded to a stop now standing in front of 3 stunned young warriors.

Odd: Heh, well it looks like experience may pay off here.

Odd began to fire his arrows at the young warriors, making them all jump out of the way. This was exactly what Odd was hoping for as he sprinted towards their flag and grabbed it.

Odd: Sorry youngsters, but I've got a competition to win!

He took off back into the Forest with the young warrior's flag in hand. The young warriors quickly got back to their feet now very cross.

Matthew: QUICK, AFTER HIM!

The 3 youngsters took off after the Lyoko Veteran, determined not to let him or their elders win.

Odd: Hey Jeremy, my shield seems to be on the fritz! Is there a bug or something?

Jeremy: I'll have to look into that later Odd. For now, you'll just have to go without it.

Odd: Just lovely...

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Forest Sector, Gary and Mariah had finally come across the old warrior's base. They saw a hollowed out fallen tree that was laying sideways to them. They quickly dove into the hollow tree in a hope of not getting spotted, which lucky for them, they weren't. Mariah took a quick peak out from the fallen tree. She saw William, Yumi, and Aelita guarding their green flag, but unlike Matthew, Natalie, and Jonah, the 3 old warriors were standing in a line in front of it, while the Manta, Tarantula, and Krab were standing in front of them.

Mariah: Looks like your gut was right after all.

Gary: I told ya so.

Just then...

Jeremy: Update time everyone! Odd has just stolen the young warrior's flag and is on his way back.

Gary and Mariah gasped at what they heard. The old warriors on the other hand, cheered at the news.

Yumi: Nice going Odd! Now we have the advantage.

But Yumi was wrong. Inside the fallen tree, Gary saw a small hole in the side of it. He took a look out the hole and saw that it was aiming right at the Tarantula. An idea suddenly popped into his head. He crawled over to Mariah.

Gary: Mariah look. There's a hole in the side of the tree and it's pointing at the Tarantula.

Mariah: So...what's your point?

Gary: My point is, since we're pretty well covered, you fire your Control Beam out of this hole and take control of the Tarantula. Then, we'll use it to our advantage and break their defenses, and give me the chance to sprint in there and take their flag.

Mariah grinned widely.

Mariah: Great idea Gary. Let's do it.

Gary: But, you only have one shot at this...make it count.

So Gary crawled out of the way and went over to the end of the hollow tree. Mariah took her place beside the small hole. She took a peak out from it and saw that indeed, the hole had a view of the Tarantula. Mariah took out one of here laser guns from her holster and stuck it outside the hole. The old warriors had no idea of their whereabouts or about their attack. Mariah knew she had one chance. She concentrated hard and took her shot.

Mariah: CONTROL BEAM!

The pink glowing laser shot out of her gun and zoomed right towards the unsuspecting Tarantula. Everything seemed to play itself in slow motion as the beam hit the Tarantula square in its torso. The Tarantula groaned as it felt Mariah's thoughts now begin to take over. The old warriors were got off guard as they suddenly saw the Tarantula go from green to pink. The Tarantula aimed its guns at the Manta and fired a few shots at it. The Manta had no idea what was happening as one shot went straight through it, destroying it instantly. The Tarantula then fired at the Krab, which also had no clue what was going on, and destroyed it as well. The warriors gasped and grew even more confused as they saw the Tarantula aim its cannons at them. Suddenly, realization dawned on Aelita.

Aelita: It's Mariah's Control Beam! She's taken over our monster!

And she was right. Inside the hollow tree, Mariah was concentrating ever so hard on the Tarantula, while Gary was waiting for the right time to rush in and grab the flag. The Tarantula began shooting at the old warriors, making them scatter in different directions. Gary was about to go and grab the flag, but stopped as he saw them regroup and begin to retaliate. Aelita used her Creativity to generate a force field around herself and the flag. William and Yumi were dealing with the Tarantula. Yumi threw her fanblades at the creature, but Mariah used her thoughts to make the Tarantula shoot the fan off coarse and fall to the ground. Yumi ran up to get them, but instead Mariah told the Tarantula to fire at her. The creature shot two shots at Yumi and hit her in the stomach and chest area. It did enough damage to devirtualize her, leaving William to deal with the Tarantula. He used his Super Smoke to sneak up behind the Tarantula. Mariah didn't see him coming as he suddenly appeared out of his smoke and stabbed his massive blade into the Eye of XANA and destroyed it. Mariah panted as she felt her energy suddenly being drained from all the focusing she was doing. Aelita meanwhile, turned off her force field and walked up beside William.

Aelita: Let's scout around the area to see if we can find them, but be on you toes. They could be anywhere.

William: Got it.

The 2 Lyoko Veterans slowly walked away from their flag and began searching for Gary and Mariah. Gary quickly crawled away from the mouth of the hollow tree as he saw them close in on their hiding spot. Just then, he had another idea.

Gary: Mariah, I got another plan.

Mariah: Ok, what is it?

Gary: Mr. Dunbar is obviously the stronger one of the two. So if you could devirtualize him, we may have a better shot of getting their flag.

Mariah: Ok, I'll do it.

So Mariah got into position a few feet from the mouth of the tree, while Gary went to the other side of the tree and prepared himself to run towards the flag. Aelita and William were now walking up towards the fallen tree. But they didn't stop to check to see if anyone was inside it. Instead, they walked right past it, giving Mariah and Gary their chance. When Aelita and William were a few feet past the tree, Mariah quietly crawled out and took her shot. She fired both of her cannons at William, hitting him in the back 4 times. Neither William nor Aelita saw it coming as William was suddenly devirtualized. Aelita turned around stunned and saw Mariah smirking at her.

Mariah: Surprise Mrs. Belpois!

Gary: SUPER SPRINT!

Gary took his chance to run out of the tree and grab the old warrior's green flag. Aelita saw Gary racing towards her and Mariah with their flag. She fired an Energy Field at him, but Gary was able to dodge it. He used this as and opportunity to retaliate. He took out one of his boomerangs and threw it at Aelita's feet. Aelita saw it coming, but wasn't able to move out of the way in time as the boomerang clipped her feet making her fall to the ground. The boomerang also took out 20 lifepoints from her as it traveled back to Gary. He sprinted right past her on his way back towards his base.

Gary: TRY AND HOLD HER OFF MARIAH!

As Gary ran into the Forest, Aelita got back to her feet and was now once again face to face with Mariah.

Mariah: Sorry Mrs. Belpois, but it looks like the youth has gotten the best of you Vets.

Aelita: Oh I wouldn't be so sure of that.

Mariah was confused as she saw Aelita get down on her knees. The sound of angelic singing echoed through the trees. Suddenly, one of the tree's trunks beside Mariah disappeared. The tree creaked and groaned as it fell towards her.

Aelita: TIMBER!

Mariah looked up and gasped as she saw the heavy tree falling towards her. She tried to jump out of the way, but wasn't quick enough as the tree flatten her like pancake and devirtualized her. Aelita smirked at her success.

Aelita: Never underestimate your elders.

Aelita then summoned her wings and flew off into the Forest after Gary. In the scanner room, Yumi, William, and Mariah all stepped out of the scanners.

Yumi: Where the heck were you guys hiding?

Mariah: In a hollow fallen tree.

William: SERIOUSLY?! Aww man...me and Aelita walked right past it without even checking!

Yumi: I have to say, that was a good sneak attack. I'll have to remember that hiding place next time XANA decides to attack.

Mariah: Glad I was able to help.

The 3 warriors went towards the elevator and made their way upwards towards the Computer Lab, where they joined Jeremy, Ulrich, and Alexis moments later.

Jeremy: Update time! William, Yumi, and Mariah have just been devirtualized, but Gary has now captured their flag.

On Lyoko, Odd was about two-thirds of the way back to his base when he heard the news.

Odd: Rats! I'll have to deal with Gary when I see him come this way.

Further behind him, Matthew, Natalie, and Jonah were hot on his tail when they heard Jeremy's update.

Jonah: We might still have a chance guys!

Natalie: Yeah, let's hope Gary can help us deal with Mr. Della Robbia.

On the other side of the Forest, Gary was still using his Super Sprint to get back to his base quicker. It was working quite well as he was much further ahead of Aelita, who was trying to catch him using her wings. Gary was now about a third of the way back to his base, when suddenly he saw Odd coming in the opposite direction, with Matthew, Natalie, and Jonah following him. Gary looked back behind him and couldn't see Aelita.

Gary: I have to save our team's flag at all costs!

Gary brought out one of his boomerangs and prepared himself for another battle. Odd saw him coming and charged up his arrow gauntlets once more.

Odd: LASER ARROW!

Odd fired an array of arrows at Gary, but with the speed that Gary had already obtained, he was able to miss the shots. He then threw his boomerang at Odd. The boomerang side-swiped Odd's feet causing him to fall to the ground. Gary stopped to retrieve his boomerang as Odd got up to his feet, now with 20 lifepoints left. Gary saw Matthew, Natalie, and Jonah come up behind Odd. They got their weapons out and were prepared to help, but Gary had other ideas.

Gary: Don't worry, I can handle this! I have a plan! Just be ready to grab our flag back!

The 3 young warriors put away their weapons.

Matthew: Natalie, get your wings out. If Gary succeeds, you go in and grab our flag back.

Natalie: Got it.

Natalie summoned her purple fairy wings and prepared herself for what might happen. Odd got back up to his feet and recharged his gauntlets.

Odd: I'M NOT WILLING TO LOSE TODAY!

He fired more and more arrows at Gary, but didn't get a single hit as Gary dodged all of them. This made Odd even more cross, and in turn messed up his concentration.

Odd: COME ON! WHERE IS MY A-GAME!

Further away, Aelita could here the sound of Odd's arrows. She flew towards the noise and saw Odd trying to devirtualize Gary, who still had their flag, but was not having much success at all. Aelita summoned a massive Energy Field in her hands and got ready to launch it from behind Gary. The 3 young warriors saw this and instantly grew worried. Gary however, grinned to himself as he got a quick glance at Aelita behind him. Gary stopped in front of Aelita, giving Odd one last chance to shoot him. Aelita saw her chance to.

Aelita: ENERGY FIELD!

She fired the orb straight at Gary's back, thinking that he didn't see it coming. However, she was wrong. Right at the last second, Gary jumped out of the way of the Energy blast, leaving the orb coming towards Odd. Odd was so focused on shooting down Gary, that he didn't see Aelita's Energy Field coming at him, until it was too late. With no shield to protect him from it, the Energy Field crashed into him, costing him his last 20 lifepoints and devirtualizing him. Aelita and the 3 young warriors gasped at what they saw. Gary got back to his feet and tossed his boomerang at Aelita. The boomerang hit her in her hip, causing her wings to disappearing and making her fall to the ground.

Gary: NATALIE, NOW! GET OUR FLAG!

Natalie swooped down and grabbed their pink flag back.

Gary: LET'S WIN THIS! SUPER SPRINT!

Gary sprinted away towards their base with his friends right behind him. In the scanner room, Odd slowly stepped out feeling very disappointed.

Odd: Man, and I really thought I had him there.

He walked towards the elevator and joined Jeremy and them moments afterwards. On Lyoko, Aelita slowly got back to her feet and saw the young warriors disappeared in the distance. She sighed to herself.

Aelita: It's over...The Lyoko Veterans have lost today.

Suddenly, she heard a deep humming sound. Aelita looked around, expecting some Hornets to show up. But she couldn't see anything at all.

Aelita: Jeremy, I'm hearing a strange noise, but I don't see anything.

Jeremy: Hang on Aelita, let me check.

Jeremy scanned around the area where Aelita was standing. Suddenly, he noticed something unusual. It was a XANA monsters, but none like he had ever seen before.

Jeremy: What on Earth is that?

Ulrich, William, Yumi, Alexis, Mariah, and Odd looked at what Jeremy saw on the screen confused. On Lyoko, Aelita was no getting scared. She could still hear the buzzing noise and it sounded like it was getting closer.

Aelita: Jeremy, where is it?

Jeremy: Behind you!

Aelita looked behind her, but didn't see anything.

Aelita: Are you sure? Because, I'm not seeing anything.

Aelita spoke too soon as suddenly, a tall green and yellow monster emerged in front of her. Aelita gasped at the new being. The monster was in the shape of a praying mantis. It had a mixture of green and yellow on its body and bright orange eyes on its head with a black Eye of XANA in each eye. It also had razor sharp scythes on each arm. It looked at least a foot taller than a normal Krab. Aelita was now very frightened.

Aelita: Jeremy...XANA's made a new monster...

Suddenly, the monster crossed it arms in an X-Shape. The arms began to glow bright red. Then, the monster quickly slashed its arms and an X-Shaped laser fired out of them and collided with Aelita, devirtualizing her.

Jeremy: Aelita...AELITA!

Jeremy then saw that Aelita was devirtualized. Meanwhile, the young warriors had arrived back at their base with their elder's flag.

Gary: Today, the youth has won!

Gary raised the flag high and Matthew, Natalie, and Jonah cheered.

Matthew: Mr. Belpois, the game is over. We won!

Jeremy: That's great, but that's not important right now.

The young warriors were confused.

Jonah: And...why is that?

Jeremy: Because Aelita has just been devirtualized by an unknown monster!

The warriors stood there in silence.

Matthew: Uh oh...

Suddenly, they heard the deep sound of buzzing. They looked around but saw nothing.

Jeremy: Look out! It's behind you!

The warriors looked behind them, but again saw nothing. That is...until the same Mantis-like monster appeared in front of them. The young warriors backed away in fear.

Natalie: Holy cow...what has XANA created this time.

Matthew: Let's see if we can find out.

Matthew brought down his Analyzing Goggles and began the analysis.

_Goggles:__ *Computer Voice* Analyzing Monster._

The monster looked down upon the young warriors. It then crossed it arms and the arms began to glow red.

_Goggles:__ *Computer Voice* Analysis Complete. Sending to Mainframe._

And not a moment too soon as the monster slashed its arms and the X-Shaped laser devirtualized all 4 of the warriors in one shot. Up in the computer lab...

Jeremy: What on Earth happened now?

* * *

**Lyoko-Unknown Location**

?: *evil laugh* I would like to see how you puny little warriors can handle my newest creation.

* * *

**Now I know what you guys are thinking...this chapter is extremely late and I said that I would try and post a new chapter once a week. Well here's my reason. This chapter took for absolutely EVER just to get the ideas into place and make them readable (which by the way, the idea for Capture the Flag and the new monster were given to me by my good mate pokemonking0924 once again). On top of that, I've had my job to worry about also, which also took away some time for me to write this. But you know the old saying, "Better late than never." But at least I finally got this chapter written up for you guys. I hope you guys can now understand why this one took so long. But I also hoped that it was worth reading. If you liked it, be sure to leave a review, follow me and favorite the story while you're at it. I would very much appreciate the support. Also, if you like, spread the word about this story to your friends. That would make me a very happy author.**

**More to come shortly. But until then, thank you guys for reading! And as always, FakeACU83 OUT!**

**...6,539 words this chapter is...HOLY CRAP!**


	36. Another New Monster?

_**Chapter 36: Another New Monster?**_

**Abandoned Factory-Scanner Room**

Aelita was the first to step out of the scanners after her surprise attack by an unknown monster that XANA had recently created. No sooner had she stepped out, all three scanners opened up to reveal Gary, Jonah, and Natalie.

Aelita: If I can take a guess, you three were just devirtualized by another new monster by XANA?

Gary: DING DING DING, we have a winner.

Just then, Natalie noticed something.

Natalie: Hey, where's Matthew at?

Just as she said that, one of the scanners whirred into life again and opened up revealing Matthew.

Matthew: I'm right here. I guess the scanners had to hold me back for a bit while you guys came out first. All four of us were devirtualized at the same time you know.

Natalie: Well that makes sense. So, what do we do now?

Aelita: Simple answer to that. We go back up to the lab and look at the data that Matthew hopefully was able to get.

Jonah: You got the data didn't you?

Matthew: Yeah I did and it should be getting to the supercomputer any second now.

Aelita: Well then, let's go up and see the results.

So the warriors made their way to the old elevator yet again and ascended back up to the Computer Lab. When they arrived, they saw Ulirch, Yumi, William, Odd, Alexis, and Mariah all waiting for them. They also saw Jeremy feverishly typing away at the keyboard. He took a glance over at the elevator doors and spotted the rest of the warriors standing there.

Jeremy: Good, you're all back. I just received the analysis that Matthew's goggles gave. And it's quite amazing at what this new monster is and what it can do.

All 11 warriors gathered around Jeremy as he read out the results.

Jeremy: Ok...so...according to this analysis, that new monster is called a "Mantis."

Aelita: Well the name sure suits it.

Jeremy: Yes it does. Now, the analysis shows that the Mantis is the second most powerful monster XANA has created. Second behind the Kolossus of course.

This got the young warrior's attention.

Mariah: The what now sir?

Jeremy: The Kolossus was a giant volcanic monster that XANA created to stop us from destroying the Lyoko Replicas 20 years ago when we were still fighting him. It only showed up 3 times and that's it. It hasn't shown up since. So you all don't need to worry about that now.

The young warriors breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Jeremy: Now then, as I was saying. The Mantis is the second most powerful monster XANA has created. It has about 150 hit points, meaning it can devirtualize you in one shot. So be careful.

William: Easier said than done.

Jeremy: It also says that it has more lifepoints than the Tigers and the Shielders. At least 250 lifepoints.

Matthew: Good grief...

Jeremy: Some other key features about the Mantis is that it is very skilled in stealth. It can camouflage itself with the terrain, hence why you all couldn't see it in the Forest Sector. It appears to me, that the Forest Sector is where they would mostly reside, seeing as they can easily blend themselves in with the background. Anywhere else, like the Ice, Mountain, and Desert Sector, they may not hide out as well.

Ulrich: Well there's some good news there.

Jeremy: It is also at least a foot taller than the Krab. As for its attacks, it has razor sharp scythes on the ends of both of their arms and when they cross them together, they can fire its powerful laser out. So be aware of that. There is also one other thing that it has, but I can't seem to figure out what it is.

Yumi: Explain that.

Jeremy: It seems that the goggles weren't able to pick up that last little bit of information, so as of now, there is a mystery ability that the Mantis has.

The warriors groaned a little at what they heard.

Odd: What about a way to destroy it Einstein?

Jeremy: As I said before, they at least 250 lifepoints. So it will be tough for you to destroy it. But there is a way. You all know that most monster have one Eye of XANA on them. Well, the Mantis has 2 Eyes of XANA. So I'm thinking that if you hit both of them, the Mantis will fall. I don't think it matters whether you hit the eyes at the same time or not. I think as long as both of them are hit, the Mantis will be destroyed. Is that understood?

The warriors all nodded.

Jeremy: Good. Now I do have something else to say.

He turned to the young warriors.

Jeremy: Matthew, Natalie, Gary, Mariah, Jonah, and Alexis. I have to say that I was most impressed with the way you all performed during your training session today. You all worked together, planned together, and fought together as one. That is key to being great Lyoko Warriors. I want to give you all my personal congratulations on your victory today. Even with the unexpected events afterwards, you all earned it and I'm very proud of you all. You all have come a long way from where you all began here just a few short months ago back in August. You have proven yourselves worthy of being true Lyoko Warriors.

The young warriors just beamed from ear to ear.

Jeremy: However, your training isn't over. There are two Sectors where you all haven't had much training in. And that's Sector 5 and the Digital Sea. However, there will be a time for when you all will have that opportunity. So for now, go about your days like you should and all of you, including the Lyoko Veterans, be ready for the call to action if XANA decides to attack again.

All: SIR! YES SIR!

Jeremy: That's what I like to hear. Now off you go young ones. You better get back to the academy, as well as Ulrich and I.

Matthew however was a little reluctant to going back, and the rest of the gang knew why.

Matthew: Boy I hope Stephanie will stay out of my hair for a while.

This got the Lyoko Veteran's attention.

Yumi: Who is Stephanie?

Ulrich: You might find this hard to believe Yumi, but Stephanie is the niece of Sissi.

Yumi, William, Odd, and Aelita were surprised indeed.

Aelita: I never even knew Sissi was an Aunt. Boy how time flies by.

Matthew: Yeah and after I showed her around the campus, she developed a huge crush on me and showed it to me and the rest of us at lunch.

Odd: What did you say to her?

Matthew: I told her that I didn't feel the same way and that I was already with Natalie.

Ulrich sighed when he heard that.

Ulrich: Looks like I was right Jeremy. Stephanie is pretty much like Sissi was to us back then, always butting in our business and always going after me even though I had feelings for Yumi.

Jeremy shook his head.

Jeremy: Well, you all be careful around her. Knowing from experience and knowing that she's related to Sissi, this won't be the last time that she'll try and get in your way.

Young Warriors: Great...

Jeremy: Anyway, come on youngsters. You all and Coach Ulrich and I need to head back to Kadic. Classes resume tomorrow you know.

Young Warriors: Yes sir.

So the warriors all piled into the old elevator and ascended back up to the main floor. They then went their separate ways with Yumi, Odd, William, and Aelita heading back to their homes and Jeremy, Ulrich, and the young warriors traveling through the sewers back to Kadic.

* * *

**Kadic Academy-Stephanie's Room**

Meanwhile back at Kadic, Stephanie was laying on her bed staring up at the ceiling, obviously deep in thought. And we can guess what she's thinking about...

Stephanie: He says that he's with that girl Natalie. I don't believe that. I think he's just trying to stay away from me, but why? Why would he want to stay away from me? No one can resist going out with the prettiest girl at Kadic. I'll find a way to make you mine Matthew Stephenson...but how?

She continued to think about Matthew for a few more minutes before drifting off to sleep.

* * *

**So now we know what the new monster is and what it's capable of. By the way, the Mantis monster was an idea given to me by...guess who...yep pokemonking0924. Thanks man! Anyway, and it also seems that Natalie may have a little competition ;). How will all this play out? Stay tuned to find out more.**

**Note: I wanted to try to get this chapter done either on or before my birthday. Well...MISSION ACCOMPLISHED! Now, I wouldn't call it a "Birthday Special" because if it was, it would be about one of the characters and not me.**

**Anyway, hope you all enjoyed! And as always, FakeACU83 (HAPPY 19th BIRTHDAY TO ME :D) OUT!**


	37. Fears Unleashed Part 1: Stormy Nights

_**Chapter 37: Fears Unleashed Part 1: Stormy Nights**_

**Kadic Academy-Cafeteria**

**Monday-7:00 AM**

The next day was Monday, which meant that the 2nd semester at Kadic would begin and that classes would resume once again, much to the dismay of the students. Even though none of them wanted to return to their classes, they knew they had to if they wanted to succeed in life. Over in the cafeteria, all of the students were enjoying their first breakfast of the New Year and were talking about what they did during their Christmas Vacation. Well...almost all of them did.

Natalie: Hey Matt, you ok?

Matthew: Yeah I'm fine. Why do you ask?

Natalie: Well...it just looks like you weren't focusing on anything. It's like you were deep in thought.

Matthew: Well...I kinda was.

Gary: What's going on mate? Something on your mind?

Matthew: I just can't get over the uneasy feeling of XANA creating more and more new monsters. I mean come on guys, this is the third time that it's happened and each time, they're getting stronger. If this keeps up, they'll just annihilate us before we could even get a chance to fight back. And if we can't fight back, XANA will take over everything.

The gang sat there in silence. They didn't think about it much after it happened, but they knew that Matthew had a good point.

Mariah: Is there anything that we can do to try and stop this?

Matthew: I think the only thing we can do is to keep doing what we've been doing ever since we got into this mess. Fight against XANA's attacks and keep training.

The gang nodded in agreement and went back to eating their breakfast. However, that wasn't the only thing on Matthew's mind and it wasn't long before Jonah noticed the "deep in thought" look on his face.

Jonah: Umm...I don't think that XANA is the only thing that you've got on your mind Matt. Is there something else plaguing you?

Matthew: *groan* Alright ya caught me. I'm also worried about that new girl Stephanie. The one that Mr. Belpois asked me to show around the school yesterday.

Alexis: The one with the huge crush on you?

Matthew: Exactly.

No one seemed to notice the deepening look of distaste on Natalie's face as Matthew continued to explain.

Matthew: You all know that I'm very happy with being with Natalie, but if what Mr. Belpois said yesterday about Stephanie going to try and make me hers and getting in our business was true, then you guys and I are going to have a rough 2nd semester.

The gang all nodded in agreement.

Natalie: I guess all we can do is see how everything plays out.

Matthew: I guess you're right.

Suddenly, out of the corner of Gary's eye, stood Stephanie at the exit of the breakfast line holding her tray of food and scanning around the cafeteria, obviously looking for someone. And we all know who. At that moment, Stephanie saw the gang's table and briskly walked her way over to them.

Gary: Guys, don't look now but Little Miss Flirty is making her way over here right now.

And she was. The gang acted like they were in conversation as Stephanie sauntered up to them.

Stephanie: Good morning everyone.

Natalie: Morning Stephanie...

She gave Stephanie a death glare and Stephanie gave the same glare back, but quickly turning her attention to Matthew who looking at his phone hoping she wouldn't notice him. Sadly...she did.

Stephanie: Matthew, if I may ask, what's your class schedule?

Matthew: Uhh...Computer Science, Math, PE, Science, Foreign Language, and History. Why?

Stephanie: Oh no reason, just curious is all. See ya around.

She walked away over towards an empty table. The gang looked at Matthew who looked upset.

Matthew: I have a feeling I know who's going to be in some of my classes this semester.

*RIIIIIIIIIIIIIING*

A few minutes later, the school bell rang meaning the beginning of the new semester. All of the students gathered up their bags and supplies and made their way to their first class. Matthew would soon be proven right about Stephanie. His first class went well with Jeremy and his Computer Science Class, but then the trouble began when Matthew entered his 2nd class with Jonah and Natalie. As they took their seats, with Matthew and Natalie sitting together at one desk table and Jonah sitting by himself at another, they looked up and saw Stephanie walk in.

Matthew: _(to himself) Oh great, just what I needed._

Natalie: _(to herself) She better not cause any trouble between me and Matt, or she'll have me to deal with._

Math Teacher: Ah you must be Stephanie Delmas our new student.

Stephanie: That's me.

Math Teacher: Very good. Why don't you sit in that empty seat next to Jonah.

Jonah perked up as the teacher pointed to where he was sitting. He couldn't do anything about it now as Stephanie sat in the empty seat right next to him. Although, she didn't acknowledge him whatsoever.

Jonah: _(to himself) Well this day just keep getting better and better._

But Math wasn't the only class that Matthew and the gang would have Stephanie in. As the day went on, Stephanie was in Matthew's PE Class with Gary, his Foreign Language Class with Alexis, and his History Class with Jonah and Mariah. Each time she was in one of his classes, she would stare at him every now and then and it made him feel very uncomfortable. When the bell rang and History Class ended, Matthew was the first to sprint out the door and out into the hallways. The teacher and most of the students were confused, but not Jonah and Mariah.

Mariah: This is gonna be a long semester.

Jonah: You can say that again.

And they walked away.

* * *

**A Few Days Later**

Over the next few days, the weather changed. Skies darkened and thunder rumbled through the city of Boulogne-Billancourt. Rain poured down like paintballs and showed no signs of slowing down. A lot of the students and even some of the staff didn't enjoy this kind of weather, but there was one student who didn't like it at all. One evening, the gang were hanging out in Matthew's room since they had nowhere else to go because of the rain. Gary was on his phone while Jonah was playing on his Nintendo DS. The girls were either on their phones or reading some type of magazine while Matthew was on his laptop. They could hear the wind and rain pounding outside Matthew's window.

Mariah: Man, can this weather get any worse?

Suddenly, a loud clap of thunder roared outside the campus. The thunder was so loud, that it knocked out all power to the building. At that moment, the gang heard someone shout to the top of their lungs followed by the slam of a door.

Mariah: I guess that answers my question...

Matthew: Hang on everyone, I think I have a flashlight here somewhere.

With his room now pitch black, it took Matthew a while to find the drawer with his flashlight. He felt around the left side of his desk and eventually found the top drawer. After feeling around inside it, he pulled out a small flashlight and turned it on. It's bright white LED lights nearly blinded his friends for a moment. Once everyone's eyes had adjusted to the new found light, Matthew spoke up.

Matthew: Everyone good?

Alexis: Yeah, we're fine.

But then, Gary noticed something out of place?

Gary: Hey guys...where did Jonah get off to?

Everyone looked to the now empty space beside Gary where Jonah once was.

Matthew: Huh? When did he leave?

Gary: I have no idea. HEY JONAH! WHERE YOU AT MATE?!

Suddenly, they heard a muffled voice.

Jonah: I'm in here.

The gang heard the voice and Matthew shined his light over to where he thought it was coming from. It was his closet. He walked over to his closet and opened the door to find Jonah squeezed inside along with Matthew's fancy dress clothes.

Matthew: What are you doing in there? And when did you get in there?

Jonah slowly crawled his way out and looked at his friends.

Jonah: Sorry guys...I got scared when I heard the thunder.

Gary: You got scared?...Wait...was that you who we heard scream?

Natalie: And you who slammed the door?

Jonah: ...Yes...it was me. Go ahead and laugh all you want.

But to his surprise, they didn't.

Jonah: What...no laughter?

Matthew: No, we were just concerned about you. If I may ask, why are you scared of storms.

Jonah gathered up his courage at he sat on the edge of Matthew's bed.

Jonah: It all happened when I was about 6 years old. My family and I were actually on vacation. We were visiting some of our relatives in America.

Matthew: Wait...you've been to America before?!

Jonah: Yep, surprise.

Matthew: What part of America?

Jonah: We were in Oklahoma. Now, as I was saying, my family and I were visiting our relatives in America. We were staying there for 2 weeks. I loved visiting the States and I loved the chance of visiting some old relatives. But the best family vacation we've ever had would soon turn out to be the worst in a matter of minutes. It was 2 days before we would have to leave. The day didn't start out very well as rain fell all day. Although, it wasn't very heavy at the time. But when it was time for dinner, the weather got worse. The skies turned darker and the rain got heavier. I soon got nervous and I told my mom about it. She told me not to worry and that the rain will stop soon. Well, I didn't stop worrying and the rain didn't stop...it got worse. At the dinner table, the radio suddenly started sounding an alarm. We heard the weather service say that there was a tornado warning in our area. That's when I got even more scared. Then suddenly, the radio signal got cut off and then we heard sirens blaring outside. My mom quickly went to the window and saw it.

He paused for a moment. The gang grew anxious.

Natalie: ...Saw what?

Jonah: An EF4 tornado and it was heading our way.

The gang gasped in horror as Jonah continued his story.

Jonah: My mom shouted that there was a tornado on the ground and it was coming towards us. All of us quickly ran to the tornado shelter outside. I was able to get a glimpse of the giant storm and I'll tell you this, it was the scariest thing I've ever saw. We all got in the shelter just in time, because a few minutes later, we heard the splintering crack of wood and glass shattering. We felt a blast of wind. At first, I didn't know what was happening...until the wind died down and the rain stopped. We stayed in the shelter for about another 30 minutes give or take until we thought it was safe to come out. When we did...we saw the devastation and destruction of what used to be a small neighborhood. There was debris everywhere, cars were either upside down or crushed by fallen trees. The house where we were staying at was completely gone. At that point, we decided that it was time to leave, but we didn't want to leave our relatives stranded, so we invited them back to our place for them to stay until the town was able to be rebuilt. About a year and a half later, it was rebuilt and they were able to move back and continue on living their lives. But I sometimes still have nightmares about that day. And that's why I get scared whenever there's a storm, because I don't want to have to go through that ever again.

The gang sat there stunned and silent until Matthew spoke up again.

Matthew: I feel really bad about what you had to go through. But you were very brave to make it through it. You also have to remember that you can't stop these things from happening. They will happen from time to time, and if it does happen again, you'll know from previous experience what to do in that kind of situation.

Jonah smiled at Matthew.

Jonah: Thanks man, that helps a lot.

Matthew: We all have fears inside of us. One of my biggest fears is actually going blind.

This got the gang confused.

Jonah: Why are you afraid of going blind?

Matthew: Because I wanna race in Formula 1 when I grow up. And if I go blind, then I won't that chance.

Jonah: Oooh, that make sense.

Gary: I'm actually afraid of bees and wasps, because one time when I was about 10 years old, I was about to sit on our front porch swing. I didn't know that there was wasps nest behind it and when I sat down, I disturbed their home and they attacked me. I got stung from head to toe and my body swelled up like a balloon. My mom took me to the hospital to get me cured. I've been afraid of them ever since.

Natalie: My biggest fear is actually losing my voice. I wanna be a famous singer and songwriter when I grow up and if I lose my voice, I'm finished.

Mariah: I'm actually afraid of bats. And it's not because of the vampire movies I've seen, but actually because when I was in my attic one time, a bat flew out from the rafters and flew past my face. I ran out of there as quick as I could and told my parents. They told me that they were harmless, but I still fear them today.

Alexis: You guys know how I sometimes talk about my older sister right? Well, my sister was the top student in her class. Always getting straight A's. She would help me with my studies if I was ever stuck. Now, she can't because she's in college right now. But I always looked up to her. My biggest fear is not being able to measure up to the standards like her. I'm afraid to fail. Failing in my education and failing in life.

Mariah: Wow...that's pretty deep.

Matthew: See Jonah, we all have fears inside of us. And the only way to get over them is to face our fears head on.

Jonah: You're right Matt, thanks. And thank you guys.

All: You're welcome.

Suddenly, the lights came back on and all power was restored. The gang went back to what they were doing, while Jonah felt like a weight was just lifted off his shoulders...or so he thought.

* * *

**Lyoko-Unknown Location**

?: Very interesting...maybe this could be the information I can use to rid these young warriors for good.

* * *

**Happy 4th of July everyone! Hope you all are having an awesome day! Hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Leave a review, follow and favorite, and spread the word about this story.**

**Thanks a lot! And as always, FakeACU83 OUT!**


	38. Fears Unleashed Part 2: The Sneak Attack

_Previously on Code Lyoko: New Youth_

_Gary: What's going on mate? Something on your mind?_

_Matthew: I just can't get over the uneasy feeling of XANA creating more and more new monsters. I mean come on guys, this is the third time that it's happened and each time, they're getting stronger. If this keeps up, they'll just annihilate us before we could even get a chance to fight back. And if we can't fight back, XANA will take over everything._

_00000000_

_Stephanie: Matthew, if I may ask, what's your class schedule?_

_Matthew: Uhh...Computer Science, Math, PE, Science, Foreign Language, and History. Why?_

_Stephanie: Oh no reason, just curious is all. See ya around._

_Matthew: I have a feeling I know who's going to be in some of my classes this semester._

_00000000_

_Matthew: Everyone good?_

_Alexis: Yeah, we're fine._

_Gary: Hey guys...where did Jonah get off to?_

_00000000_

_Jonah: What...no laughter?_

_Matthew: No, we were just concerned about you. If I may ask, why are you scared of storms._

_Jonah: It all happened when I was about 6 years old. My family and I were actually on vacation. We were visiting some of our relatives in America. The skies turned darker and the rain got heavier. Then suddenly, the radio signal got cut off and then we heard sirens blaring outside. My mom quickly went to the window and saw it. _

_Natalie: ...Saw what?_

_Jonah: An EF4 tornado and it was heading our way._

_00000000_

_Matthew: We all have fears inside of us. One of my biggest fears is actually going blind._

_Gary: I'm actually afraid of bees and wasps._

_Natalie: My biggest fear is actually losing my voice._

_Mariah: I'm actually afraid of bats._

_Alexis: I'm afraid to fail. Failing in my education and failing in life._

_?: Very interesting...maybe this could be the information I can use to rid these young warriors for good._

* * *

_**Chapter 38: Fears Unleashed Part 2: The Sneak Attack**_

**Belpois Residence**

**6:00 AM-The Next Day**

The weather hadn't improved even in the slightest bit the next day, as it was still raining very hard when Jeremy woke up to get himself ready to teach his class yet again. He was already dressed, made his lunch, his laptop, and all his work packed up and ready to go for the day. Grabbing his umbrella, he made his way outside and to his car. However, when he turned the key...the engine didn't start.

Jeremy: What? Grr...come on engine, turn over already!

But it was no good. Jeremy tried and tried again to get the car started, but nothing happened. Pounding on the steering wheel in frustration, Jeremy pondered on what he could do. The school was only a couple of miles away.

Jeremy: It shouldn't take me that long to walk my way there. Maybe about 30 minutes at the most. Or I could call a cab and have it take me there...hmm...

After a few more moments of thinking...

Jeremy: I don't think walking there would hurt. Besides, I'll still have plenty of time to get things ready by the time I get there.

So grabbing his umbrella again, Jeremy got out of his car and began walking down the sidewalk over towards Kadic. About 15 minutes later, Aelita woke up and began to prepare some breakfast for herself and Maya. But as she walked out of her bedroom, out of the front window she caught a glimpse of Jeremy's car still sitting in the driveway.

Aelita: Hmm? That's strange...

Maya: What's strange Mom?

Aelita jumped. She didn't realize that Maya was already up and downstairs.

Aelita: Oh dear...don't scare me like that Maya.

Maya: Sorry Mommy. But...what were you saying that was strange?

Aelita: It seems that Daddy left his car in the driveway. I don't know why though, but I'm going to call him to find out for sure. You go get dressed while I do that.

Maya: Ok Mommy.

As little Maya scurried away to get dressed, Aelita pulled out her phone and dialed Jeremy's number. A few moments later...

_Jeremy: Hello?_

Aelita: Hi Jeremy.

_Jeremy: Hi Aelita, what's up?_

Aelita: Where are you Jeremy?

_Jeremy: I'm walking my way to Kadic right now. Why do you ask?_

Aelita: I woke up and saw your car still in the driveway. Why didn't you take it this morning?

_Jeremy: I was going to, but it wouldn't start. So I decided to just walk there. It's not that far you know._

Aelita: Well that's true. I was just wondering. Don't try and catch yourself a cold being out in this weather.

_Jeremy: I'll watch over myself Aelita, not to worry_._ I'll see what I can do about the car later._

Aelita: Ok Jeremy, see you tonight. I love you.

_Jeremy: I love you to. Bye._

After ending the call, Aelita hung up the phone and went back to making breakfast. A few minutes later, Maya came out of the bathroom after finishing her morning routine.

Maya: Did you find out why Daddy left his car here?

Aelita: Yes, apparently the car wouldn't start up, so Daddy decided to walk to work.

Maya: Couldn't he try to fix it himself?

Aelita: Heh, trust me Maya, your father may know his way around a computer, but when it comes to a vehicle, he's like a deer staring into oncoming headlines, just stands there and does nothing. And same can be said about me.

Maya: Oh, so how are we going to fix it?

Aelita: Daddy's going to try and work that out later. Now let's not worry about that right now. Have some breakfast before you head off to school.

Maya: Ok Mom.

So after a few minutes of eating breakfast, Aelita waited outside with Maya for her bus to arrive, which it did moments later. After waving goodbye to her, Aelita walked back inside and continued on with her day.

* * *

**Kadic Academy-Jeremy's Classroom**

**6:30 AM**

At last, Jeremy arrived at his classroom and in good timing to. It was now 6:30 in the morning and the students were just now waking up and getting ready. Setting his umbrella aside, Jeremy turned on his desktop computer and began planning his lesson. As he was typing away at his keyboard, a suddenly let out a loud sneeze followed by a couple of coughs.

Jeremy: Oh dear, where did those come from?

Jeremy suddenly remembered what Aelita said.

_Aelita:__ Don't try and catch yourself a cold being out in this weather._

Jeremy: Nah, there's no way I have one, especially not this quick.

Jeremy quickly put that thought in the back of his mind and continued on working...but not without having a couple more sneezes afterwards.

Jeremy: ...At least I hope not.

After about another hour and a half, the bell rang meaning the beginning of another school day. Jeremy waited for his students to arrive. He let out of few more coughs, this time a bit more hoarse. He pounded his chest a couple of times to try and clear his throat...but it did little work. After a few more seconds, his students filed in his classroom. He noticed that all of his students seemed to be in a pretty decent mood.

Jeremy: Well, tomorrow is Friday. Who wouldn't be in a good mood.

But then, Jeremy that one of his students walking in wasn't in a good mood at all. And to his surprise, that student was Matthew.

Jeremy: Excuse me Matthew, could you come here for a moment?

Matthew grudgingly walked over to Jeremy's desk. Jeremy could see the flustered look on his face.

Jeremy: Is there something wrong young Matthew? You don't usually looked this upset.

Matthew gave a big sigh.

Matthew: It that new girl Stephanie.

Jeremy: _(to himself) Oh dear, this can't be good._

Matthew: She just won't get off of my back!

* * *

**An Hour and a half Earlier**

As Matthew was gathering his supplies for the day, he heard someone knock on his door. He opened his door but found no one standing there. He was most confused until he spotted a folded piece of paper on the floor in front of him. He picked it up and unfolded it. It was a note.

_Meet me in the courtyard before breakfast._

Matthew: Hmm? Must be Natalie wanting some help from last night's Math homework or something.

He put the note in his pocket before gathering his belongings and heading out to the courtyard. The courtyard was completely empty when he arrived.

Matthew: HELLO?! ANYONE HERE?!

?: OVER HERE MATT!

Matthew turned around expecting to see Natalie standing behind him. But was shocked to see that it was Stephanie.

Matthew:Stephanie? What are you doing here?

Stephanie: I wanted to talk to you.

She walked up to him with a flirty sort of look. Matthew felt really uncomfortable now.

Matthew: What about?

Stephanie: About you and me. How would you like to go out with me?

Matthew: WHAT?! You asked me that the first day you came here. I told last time and I'll tell you again, I'm in a relationship with Natalie!

Stephanie: I don't believe you.

Matthew: I beg your pardon?

Stephanie: What do you see in that girl that you don't in me? I much more prettier than her and I'm far more popular than she is by a long shot. So why wouldn't you want to go out with someone like me?

Matthew: You want the main reason? Because unlike you, Natalie knows how to take NO for an answer! Now why don't you just get off my back and leave me and Natalie alone.

Matthew stomped away to the cafeteria leaving Stephanie seething.

Stephanie: MARK MY WORDS MATTHEW, YOU WILL BE MINE FOREVER!

Matthew ignored her and walked inside the cafeteria.

* * *

**Present Time**

Matthew: My friends asked me what's wrong when I sat down. The couldn't believe it.

Jeremy: _(to himself) Boy it feels like Sissi, Yumi and Ulrich all over again._

Matthew: I just wish she can get it through that thick head of hers.

Jeremy: Now Matthew I know you're upset, but just try to calm down a bit.

So Matthew took a deep breath in and out.

Jeremy: Good. Now my friends and I had a similar situation back when we were students here. A girl named Sissi, who is actually Stephanie's Aunt, had her eyes all over Coach Ulrich. But Ulrich had feelings for Miss Ishiyama and Sissi didn't want to accept that. So what did we do? We just took it in our stride and put her in the back of our heads. After we stopped XANA, we told her that if she wanted to be friends with us, then she had to stop messing with our group. And surprisingly it worked.

Matthew: Well I hope something like that happens to us right now.

Jeremy: You never know...ACHOO!

Jeremy let out a loud sneeze and a few more coughs afterwards.

Matthew: Hey Mr. Belpois, are you alright?

Jeremy: Of course I'm alright.

Matthew: Well...if you say so.

Just then, the tardy bell rang and the school day began once again. Jeremy began his normal routine of teaching his class. But on several occasions, he had to stop as more coughs and sneezes came sneaking up on him. He was now beginning to grow a little concerned, and he was right to do so. As the course of the day went on, Jeremy began to feel strange. He felt his head pounding and his body began to sweat a bit. On top of that, he coughs and sneezes became more violent. So much so, that when Ulrich passed by his classroom on the way to lunch, he could here Jeremy coughing and sneezing from the other side of the wall. He poked his head through his door and saw Jeremy looking pale.

Ulrich: Jeremy...I think you should take the rest of the day off.

Jeremy: *coughing* I think you're right Ulrich. I feel awful.

Ulrich: I'll go tell Mr. Hamilton that you're sick and should stay home until you feel well.

Jeremy: Thanks Ulrich.

So as Jeremy began to pack his stuff, Ulrich went to the principle's office to explain the situation. Once there...

Mr. Hamilton: Oh dear. Well I do hope that he recovers soon.

Ulrich: Why is that sir?

Mr. Hamilton: Because I don't know any good substitute teachers to relieve him.

Ulrich could see that he was in quite a jam. He wanted to help, but he didn't know and good substitute teachers either.

Ulrich: Well I'm sure you'll think of something sir.

Ulrich left his office after that, leaving Mr. Hamilton to ponder at his dilemma.

* * *

**Belpois Residence**

**1:00 PM**

Despite being sick the first half of the day, Jeremy had just enough strength to walk his way back home in the rain without falling flat on his face. He tried to turn the doorknob but found it to be locked. He rang the doorbell a couple of times, until he heard the door being unlocked. Once it opened, he saw Aelita standing there, now with a worried look on her face.

Aelita: Jeremy, are you okay?

Jeremy: No, I feel awful. Looks like you were right Aelita. I think I got a cold from this weather.

Aelita: Well let's not make it worse for you. Let's get you inside.

Aelita helped Jeremy inside to the bedroom. Aelita left for the kitchen to bring him some cold water. When she returned, she found him now laying in bed. She set the glass beside him.

Aelita: Get some rest now Jeremy.

Jeremy: Wait, I just had a thought. With me recovering here, who's going to substitute my class?

Jeremy and Aelita thought about it for a few moments. Until suddenly, a bright idea popped into Aelita's head.

Aelita: What about me?

Jeremy was surprised?

Jeremy: You? Are you sure?

Aelita: Of course I'm sure. You're not the only one who's majored in Computer Science you know.

She gave him a cheeky grin as realization dawned upon Jeremy.

Jeremy: You're right. Are you willing to do it while I recover here?

Aelita: I'm sure I can. Just tell me what you've covered with your class and tell me what you have planned for them next.

Jeremy: Ok, but first let me call Mr. Hamilton and tell him.

So Aelita handed him the phone and Jeremy dialed the school's number.

_Mr. Hamilton: Kadic Academy, Principle Hamilton speaking._

Jeremy: Mr. Hamilton, it's Jeremy.

_Mr. Hamilton: Ah Jeremy, I'm sorry to hear about your illness._

Jeremy: That's alright sir. Anyway, I'm calling to tell you that I've found you a substitute for my class.

_Mr. Hamilton: Really? Who is it?_

Jeremy: It's my wife Aelita. She's majored in Computer Science also. She knows just as much about computers and programs as I do...maybe even more. She said that's she willing to teach while I rest up.

_Mr. Hamilton: That's sounds splendid. Tell her to meet me in my office tomorrow morning._

Jeremy: Thank you sir. Good-bye.

Aelita: Well?

Jeremy: He said it's alright. Just meet him in his office tomorrow morning.

Aelita: Thank you Jeremy. Now rest up.

Aelita walked out of the bedroom to allow Jeremy to rest. Meanwhile...

* * *

**Lyoke-Unknown Location**

?: Hmmm...this might work out rather well. Let's see if you warriors can stop me this time. Heh heh heh.

* * *

**Kadic Academy-Principle's Office**

**The Next Day**

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*

Mr. Hamilton: ENTER!

Aelita: Uh...Mr. Hamilton?

Mr. Hamilton: Ah good morning madam. What can I do for you?

Aelita: My name's Aelita Belpois, Jeremy's wife.

Mr. Hamilton: Ah Mrs. Belpois. A pleasure to meet you. Come and sit.

Aelita: Thank you sir.

Aelita sat down in the open chair dressed in her business casual attire.

Mr. Hamilton: First off, I'm sorry to hear about your husband's illness and I do wish him a speedy recovery.

Aelita: Thank you sir.

Mr. Hamilton: Secondly, I hope you will find your teaching time here enjoyable.

Aelita: I'm sure I will sir. It feels kinda nice to be back at my old school.

Mr. Hamilton: You graduated here?

Aelita: 20 years ago. My husband and I graduated together. He was Valedictorian and I was Salutatory.

Mr. Hamilton: The more you know. Well, I'm sure that you know that layout of the building then. Jeremy's classroom is Room 431.

Aelita: Thank you sir. Have a nice day.

Aelita walked out of the office and towards her "temporary" classroom. Once there, she began to unpack her laptop and get herself ready for her first day. While she was organizing, Ulrich was walking down the hallway on his way towards the gym. He came up towards Jeremy's classroom and noticed the door was open.

Ulrich: Looks like Mr. Hamilton found a sub after all. Probably best not to bother them while they're still trying to get around things.

But as he walked past the room, he could have sworn he saw the color pink.

Ulrich: Hang on a second...

He quickly poked his head in the door frame and gasped as he saw a familiar pink haired woman sitting in Jeremy's chair.

Ulrich: AELITA?!

Aelita: Oh good morning Ulrich.

Aelita smile sweetly as Ulrich gathered his thoughts.

Ulrich: You're Jeremy's substitute?

Aelita: Surprise! He's not the only one who's majored in Computer Science.

Ulrich: When did this happen?

Aelita: Yesterday when he came home. I told him that I could teach his class while he's resting. He told me what he went over and what he has planned so I think I got it.

Ulrich: Well if you need any teaching advice, don't be afraid to ask.

Aelita: Thanks Ulrich. See you later.

A few minutes later, the bell rang and the Friday classes began. Aelita felt excited as she waited for her students. When they arrived, they were surprised to see her and not Jeremy. But one student who was particularly surprised was...

Matthew: What the...MRS. BELPOIS?!

Aelita: Good morning to you Matthew.

Matthew: Not to sound rude, but what are you doing here?

Aelita: Jeremy's caught a cold and won't be back for a few days. He agreed to let me teach while he's away.

Matthew: That's awesome! This just made my day a lot better.

Aelita giggled as Matthew and the rest of the students took their seats. However, unknown to them...

* * *

**Lyoko-Ice Sector**

XANA was on the offense yet again as a tower turned from blue to red. But something was different this time. In the factory, XANA's specter didn't come out at all. The tower was left unguarded. Meanwhile in the cafeteria, Matthew was talking about Aelita being his substitute.

Natalie: That's so cool!

Matthew: I know, she knows just as much as Mr. Belpois. Heck, she might know even more than him.

The gang laughed with Matthew. But the their laughter suddenly stopped, when they heard a familiar alarm coming for Matthew's laptop.

Mariah: Oh no not now.

Matthew: Sorry guys, but you know the drill. Let's find Mrs. Belpois.

So the gang got up from there seats and made their way towards Aelita. In her classroom, Aelita was enjoying her lunch. She found teaching a class in computers was quite fun.

Aelita: Maybe I should do this more often.

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted when the gang burst in.

Aelita: What's wrong everyone?

Matthew opened his laptop and showed her the tower alert on the screen.

Aelita: Oh no...XANA.

Matthew: We'll need your help ma'am.

Aelita: Alright, let's go!

So Aelita led the gang outside and towards the sewers that led to the factory. A few minutes later, they arrived at the computer lab. Aelita began typing away at the keyboard.

Aelita: Looks like the tower is in the Ice Sector. Get to the scanner room, all of you. I'll meet up with you in a moment.

So the 6 young warriors descended down to the scanner room. Once there, Gary, Natalie, and Mariah took their place first.

Aelita: Transfer Gary. Transfer Natalie. Transfer Mariah. Scanner Gary. Scanner Natalie. Scanner Mariah. Virtualization!

Once the were virtualized, the scanner doors opened up again, and Matthew, Alexis, and Jonah took their place.

Aelita: Transfer Matthew. Transfer Alexis. Transfer Jonah. Scanner Matthew. Scanner Alexis. Scanner Jonah. Virtualization!

Soon all 6 young warriors dropped down into the Ice Sector and waited for Aelita to join them.

Aelita: Here I come everyone!

Aelita ran down to the scanner room while the countdown got closer to zero. She stepped inside the scanner just as time ran out. The scanner doors closed and moments later, she was virtualized.

* * *

**Lyoko-Ice Sector**

A moment later, Aelita dropped down between the young warriors.

Aelita: The tower is not too far down that way. Sorry I couldn't bring your vehicles. I didn't enough time.

Gary: That's alright ma'am. Now let's go!

Aelita led the gang through icy sector towards the tower. Surprisingly enough, they reached it in no time at all. But what was enough more surprising was...

Jonah: Do you guys find it weird that there's no monsters anywhere?

Alexis: I don't. I call it a blessing.

Matthew: Jonah does have a point though. Stay on your toes people.

They arrived at the tower easily and Aelita went inside while the gang waited for her. They still weren't sure why they didn't see any of XANA's monsters.

Gary: This is weird. Where the heck are they?

Suddenly, they heard a strange screeching sound. It was coming from behind the tower.

Matthew: What's that noise?

Natalie: I don't know, but I don't like it.

The gang drew their weapons ready to attack.

Matthew: Wherever you are, come out and show yourself!

Suddenly, from the behind the tower floated 6 orange glowing spheres that looked like balls of fire. They floated slowly towards the warriors, who were now backing away in fear.

Alexis: What the heck are those?!

Matthew: Let's find out. ATTACK!

The 6 warriors charged at each of the spheres. They struck their weapons against its surface, but did nothing. The spheres stay unharmed. The gang were now really scared.

Gary: Uhh...now what mate?

Matthew: Only thing I can think of is...RETREAT!

The gang took off away from the orange spheres as fast as they could. But the spheres were hot on their tail and closing fast. The gang looked back and could see them closing in. They tried to run faster but couldn't. The spheres were just inches away from them. Meanwhile in the tower, Aelita was just about to enter Code: Lyoko, when suddenly, the interface disappeared.

Aelita: What?

Then, she felt XANA's energy in the tower disappear also.

Aelita: The tower just deactivated itself. What's going on?

Gang: AHHHHHHHHHH!

Aelita: *gasp* That was the young warriors!

Aelita quickly exited the tower, only to find the gang had vanished.

Aelita: What's happening? Where did they go?

Suddenly, she heard the same screeching sound as well. A sound she had heard before. Chills ran down her spine as she figured out what it was.

Aelita: No...no it can't be that.

Aelita turned around and sure enough, it was.

Aelita: THE GUARDIAN!

Aelita could do nothing against it. The Guardian made one quick swipe at Aelita as it consumed her before floating away from the now deactivated tower. Meanwhile in the factory, a bright white light emitted itself from the HoloMap without any assistance whatsoever. The light consumed everything and faded away moments later.

* * *

**Now there's a surprise attack right there. Am I right? Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this somewhat late posting chapter. Sorry if it was late. Had a little trouble trying to put the ideas together, but I hope that it was good enough for you all as my viewers to enjoy. So if you did enjoy, leave a review, follow and favorite, and spread the story around to your friends and fellow FanFiction mates. More to come soon!**

**Thanks again! And as always, FakeACU83 OUT!**


	39. Fears Unleashed Part 3: Realization

_Previously on Code Lyoko: New Youth_

_Aelita: Where are you Jeremy?_

_Jeremy: I'm walking my way to Kadic right now. Why do you ask?_

_Aelita: I woke up and saw your car still in the driveway. Why didn't you take it this morning?_

_Jeremy: I was going to, but it wouldn't start. So I decided to just walk there. It's not that far you know._

_Aelita: Well that's true. I was just wondering. Don't try and catch yourself a cold being out in this weather._

_Jeremy: I'll watch over myself Aelita, not to worry._

_00000000_

_Jeremy: Is there something wrong young Matthew? You don't usually looked this upset._

_Matthew: It that new girl Stephanie. She just won't get off of my back!_

_Jeremy: Good. Now my friends and I had a similar situation back when we were students here. A girl named Sissi, who is actually Stephanie's Aunt, had her eyes all over Coach Ulrich. But Ulrich had feelings for Miss Ishiyama and Sissi didn't want to accept that. So what did we do? We just took it in our stride and put her in the back of our heads._

_00000000_

_Ulrich: Jeremy...I think you should take the rest of the day off._

_Jeremy: *coughing* I think you're right Ulrich. I feel awful._

_Ulrich: I'll go tell Mr. Hamilton that you're sick and should stay home until you feel well._

_Jeremy: Thanks Ulrich._

_00000000_

_Aelita: My name's Aelita Belpois, Jeremy's wife._

_Mr. Hamilton: Ah Mrs. Belpois. A pleasure to meet you. First off, I'm sorry to hear about your husband's illness. Secondly, I hope you will find your teaching time here enjoyable._

_Aelita: I'm sure I will sir. It feels kinda nice to be back at my old school._

_00000000_

_Matthew: What the...MRS. BELPOIS?!_

_Aelita: Good morning to you Matthew._

_Matthew: Not to sound rude, but what are you doing here?_

_Aelita: Jeremy's caught a cold and won't be back for a few days. He agreed to let me teach while he's away._

_Matthew: That's awesome! This just made my day a lot better._

_00000000_

_Mariah: Oh no not now._

_Matthew: Sorry guys, but you know the drill. Let's find Mrs. Belpois._

_00000000_

_Matthew: What's that noise?_

_Natalie: I don't know, but I don't like it._

_Matthew: Wherever you are, come out and show yourself!_

_00000000_

_Gang: AHHHHHHHHHH!_

_Aelita: *gasp* That was the young warriors! What's happening? Where did they go?_

_00000000_

_Aelita: No...no it can't be that. THE GUARDIAN!_

* * *

_**Chapter 39: Fears Unleashed Part 3: Realization  
**_

**Boulonge-Billancourt**

**Belpois Residence-6:00 AM**

*BEEP BEEP BEEP*

Jeremy groaned as he heard the blaring noise of his alarm clock ringing in his ear. Grumbling to himself, he reached over and slapped his alarm clock off. He slowly sat up in his bed, surprisingly feeling much better but still annoyed that he was rudely awakened by his alarm.

Jeremy: Guess I forgot to turn that off, but at least I feel well again.

He looked over at the clock and saw that it was 6 in the morning. Jeremy was surprised.

Jeremy: Wow...did I really sleep from 1 PM yesterday to 6 AM the next day?

*RING RING RING*

His thoughts were interrupted when the phone started to ring. Jeremy looked at the number and saw that it was Kadic Academy's phone number.

Jeremy: Hello?

_Mr. Hamilton: Jeremy? It's Mr. Hamilton._

Jeremy: Morning Mr. Hamilton. How are you today?

_Mr. Hamilton: Where are you Mr. Belpois?!_

Jeremy was taken quite aback by Mr. Hamilton's sudden burst of anger.

Jeremy: I'm at my house sir. Why do you ask?

_Mr. Hamilton: Why aren't you at Kadic preparing to teach your class?_

Jeremy was now even more confused.

Jeremy: Don't you remember? Ulrich told you that I came down with a cold on Thursday. And I was told to stay home to recover.

There was a brief silence on the other end of the line.

_Mr. Hamilton: Jeremy, what on Earth are you talking about? Today IS Thursday and you should have been here by now!_

Jeremy's eyes suddenly went wide as he quickly got out his cell phone to check the date. He was shocked to see that it was in fact Thursday morning...the day where he was SUPPOSED to have come home sick. He then suddenly remembered Aelita. He dropped the phone and dashed out to the living room.

_Mr. Hamilton: Jeremy...Jeremy what's going on?_

But Jeremy didn't hear him as he raced into the living room.

Jeremy: AELITA? AELITA! WHERE ARE YOU?!

But there was no answer.

Jeremy: AELITA ANSWER ME PLEASE!

Still no answer. Suddenly, realization dawned upon Jeremy.

Jeremy: No...no...XANA!

Jeremy flopped down on the couch and held his head in his hands.

Jeremy: XANA must have attacked while I was gone and Aelita must have been captured. Then XANA must have somehow returned to the past. But how...and WHY!

Maya: What's wrong Daddy?

Jeremy turned to see Maya standing in the hallway with a look of deep concern on her face. He got up from the couch and kneeled down in front of Maya.

Jeremy: Maya, I don't want you to panic, but Mommy has gone missing.

Maya: Wh...what?

Maya looked to be on the verge of tears. Jeremy pulled his young daughter into a tight hug to comfort her.

Jeremy: Shh...it's alright Maya. Don't worry, I'm going to find her and bring her back here no matter what.

Maya: I wanna help finding Mom.

Jeremy understood why Maya wanted to help, but he knew if he brought her along, he would risk revealing he and Aelita's secret in regards to the factory, Lyoko, and XANA. But then, he thought, if everything worked out, he could fix the return to the past and she wouldn't remember any of it.

Jeremy: Ok Maya, you can help. Now go get dressed quick.

Maya nodded as Jeremy rushed back to his room to pick up the phone he dropped.

Jeremy: Mr. Hamilton, I'm sorry but I'm going to have to hang up. An emergency just came about dealing with my wife and I have to be there.

_Mr. Hamilton: Jeremy...JEREMY!_

Jeremy hung up the call after that leaving the principle quite confused. Meanwhile, Jeremy quickly got himself dressed and went back out to the living room where Maya was waiting all dressed and ready to find her mother.

Jeremy: Come on Maya, let's go.

He grabbed a hold of Maya's hand and his umbrella and walked outside once again into the rain. He remembered that his car was still broken down and that he would have to fix it later. Jeremy hoped to himself that he wouldn't get the same cold as he did before this whole mess happened.

Jeremy: Now Maya, before we start searching, I need to pick up a few of my friends.

Maya: Why Daddy?

Jeremy: Because they are friends of your mother's also. They can help us find her.

Maya: Well...if you say so.

So Jeremy and Maya swiftly walked down the sidewalk towards Kadic to find Ulrich.

* * *

**Kadic Academy-****Gymnasium**

On a normal school day, Ulrich would arrive at Kadic at precisely 6 AM to prep the gym and equipment he was going to use for his classes. Today was no exception, until Ulrich realized something strange.

Ulrich: Wait what? Didn't I just set the same stuff up yesterday?

Ulrich had set up a small obstacle coarse in the gym and was only going to use it for one day, then take it apart later. He was most confused when he saw that it was still there and not in the gym's equipment closet where he thought he left it. Suddenly, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He looked at the number and to his surprise, it was Jeremy calling.

Ulrich: Jeremy, I thought you should be resting?

Jeremy: No time for that Ulrich, this is an emergency!

Ulrich could hear the urgency in the genius' voice.

Ulrich: Jeremy...what's going on?

Jeremy: It's XANA! He attacked while I was away and Aelita must have gone to Lyoko deactivate the tower and been captured by XANA! And somehow, he must have used the return to the past to make it Thrusday again, the same day where I was sent home from a cold.

Realization dawned upon Ulrich as he now realized why his obstacle coarse was still in the same place.

Ulrich: Oh...no.

Jeremy: Exactly Ulrich. And now, I'm coming to Kadic to come and get you. I'm going to need your help to find Aelita, as well as Odd, Yumi, and William's help.

Ulrich: Ok, I'll meet in the parking lot. We'll take my SUV and go get the others.

Jeremy: Good plan. I'll see you there.

Jeremy hung up the call as Maya spoke.

Maya: Daddy, who is XANA and what is Lyoko?

Jeremy sighed. He knew this was coming, but he didn't want to give away the secret, even to his own daughter.

Jeremy: I'll explain everything about that after we find your mother, okay?

Maya: Okay...

Over at Kadic, Ulrich was waiting anxiously for Jeremy in the school's main parking lot. He was still trying to wrap his head around the situation with Aelita.

Ulrich: _(to himself) How was XANA able to do something like that? I knew he was powerful, but I didn't think he was this powerful._

He kept thinking about this, until suddenly another thought struck his brain.

Ulrich: _(to himself) Wait a minute...Aelita couldn't have gone to Lyoko alone when XANA attacked. She would've had to have some help from..._

At that moment, realization hit him square in the face.

Ulrich: The young gang!

Just then, Jeremy ran up to him. Ulrich was surprised to see young Maya.

Ulrich: Jeremy, why is Maya with you?

Jeremy: Why else would she be with me? She wants to find her mom just as much as I do right now.

Ulrich: Point taken, but Jeremy I've just had a bad thought.

Jeremy: ...Uh oh.

Ulrich: When XANA attacked, do you think Aelita would have gone to Lyoko alone to deactivate the tower.

Jeremy: Well if she had the brains of Odd then yes, but she knows better than to go and face XANA alone, knowing the pure hatred between them. Why do you ask?

Ulrich: Think about it Jeremy. You were home sick and I had no idea that XANA was up to something, so who else do you know would inform Aelita about XANA's attacks.

Jeremy thought for a moment, until he realized what Ulrich had meant.

Jeremy: What...oh no, THE GANG!

Without even thinking, Jeremy ran towards the cafeteria in hopes that what Ulrich had said wasn't true. When he arrived, he peered through the window and looked at the gang's usual table...it was empty. Just then, he remembered Matthew telling him that he met up with Stephanie in the courtyard before breakfast. He looked around and sure enough, there was Stephanie waiting for Matthew, just as she was before the surprise return to the past. He ran over towards her, startling the young girl a bit.

Jeremy: Stephanie, I'm sorry to barge in on you like this, but have you seen Matthew and his friends anywhere?

Stephanie: I was hoping to see Matthew here. I wanted to talk to him about something before breakfast, but he hasn't shown up yet and breakfast is almost starting. As for his friends, I haven't seen them either. What is this about sir?

Jeremy didn't answer. He just ran off from Stephanie and back towards the parking lot. He arrived a few moments later completely out of breath.

Ulrich: Where did you run off to?

Jeremy: You...you were right Ulrich...The gang...is gone to...

Ulrich: What? You mean, they're on Lyoko with Aelita?

Jeremy: I think so...but we'll know for sure...when we get to the factory...

Ulrich: Right, come on. You and Maya hop in my SUV and we'll go find Yumi, Odd, and William.

Jeremy didn't needed to be told twice as he grabbed Maya's hand and guided her towards Ulrich's SUV. Maya was still the most puzzled out of all of them, because she had no idea what her father or Ulrich were talking about in regards to her mother. But before she could say anything else, Ulrich started up the engine and drove away to find the others. They knew they had to hurry for Aelita's and the young warriors' sake.

* * *

**I'm gonna be the first to call it...PLOT TWIST! XD Anyway, I'm sorry for the short chapter everyone. The reason for that is I'm trying to put together and finalize the ideas for the final part of the "Fears Unleashed" series. I plan on making the next chapter the last part of this recent series, but it may take a while for me to write. So I'm going to warn you guys now, if the next chapter comes out later than a week, you all will know why. So just bear with me on this one. But anyway, thank you guys so much for reading this chapter. If you enjoyed it, leave a review (like always), follow and favorite (like always), and spread the word around this story to your friends. Thanks again!**

**And as always, FakeACU83 OUT!**


	40. Fears Unleashed Part 4: Fears Come Alive

Previously_ on Code Lyoko: New Youth_

_Jeremy: Hello?_

_Mr. Hamilton: Jeremy? It's Mr. Hamilton._

_Jeremy: Morning Mr. Hamilton. How are you today?_

_Mr. Hamilton: Where are you Mr. Belpois?!_

_Jeremy: I'm at my house sir. Why do you ask?_

_Mr. Hamilton: Why aren't you at Kadic preparing to teach your class?_

_Jeremy: Don't you remember? Ulrich told you that I came down with a cold on Thursday. And I was told to stay home to recover._

_Mr. Hamilton: Jeremy, what on Earth are you talking about? Today IS Thursday and you should have been here by now!_

_00000000_

_Maya: What's wrong Daddy?_

_Jeremy: Maya, I don't want you to panic, but Mommy has gone missing._

_Maya: Wh...what?_

_Jeremy: Shh...it's alright Maya. Don't worry, I'm going to find her and bring her back here no matter what._

_Maya: I wanna help finding Mom._

_00000000_

_Ulrich: Jeremy...what's going on?_

_Jeremy: It's XANA! He attacked while I was away and Aelita must have gone to Lyoko deactivate the tower and been captured by XANA! And somehow, he must have used the return to the past to make it Thrusday again, the same day where I was sent home from a cold._

_Ulrich: Oh...no._

_Jeremy: Exactly Ulrich. And now, I'm coming to Kadic to come and get you. I'm going to need your help to find Aelita, as well as Odd, Yumi, and William's help._

_Ulrich: Ok, I'll meet in the parking lot. We'll take my SUV and go get the others._

_00000000_

_Ulrich: Jeremy I've just had a bad thought. When XANA attacked, do you think Aelita would have gone to Lyoko alone to deactivate the tower._

_Jeremy: Well if she had the brains of Odd then yes, but she knows better than to go and face XANA alone, knowing the pure hatred between them. Why do you ask?_

_Ulrich: Think about it Jeremy. You were home sick and I had no idea that XANA was up to something, so who else do you know would inform Aelita about XANA's attacks._

_Jeremy: What...oh no, THE GANG!_

_00000000_

_Jeremy: Stephanie, I'm sorry to barge in on you like this, but have you seen Matthew and his friends anywhere?_

_Stephanie: I was hoping to see Matthew here. I wanted to talk to him about something before breakfast, but he hasn't shown up yet and breakfast is almost starting. As for his friends, I haven't seen them either. What is this about sir?_

_00000000_

_Ulrich: Where did you run off to?_

_Jeremy: You...you were right Ulrich...The gang...is gone to..._

_Ulrich: What? You mean, they're on Lyoko with Aelita?_

_Jeremy: I think so...but we'll know for sure...when we get to the factory..._

_Ulrich: Right, come on. You and Maya hop in my SUV and we'll go find Yumi, Odd, and William._

* * *

_**Chapter 40: Fears Unleashed Part 4: Fears Come Alive**_

**Kadic Academy-Matthew's Room**

**Saturday-6:30 AM**

*BEEP BEEP BEEP*

Matthew: Huh? What?

Matthew sat up in his bed after being startled awake by alarm clock. He slapped it off and put on his glasses then looked around. He saw that he was back in his room somehow.

Matthew: Weird, last time I checked, I was in Lyoko with Mrs. Belpois and the others.

He then picked up his phone and saw the date. To his surprise, it was a partly cloudy Saturday morning. The day after Aelita substituted for Jeremy after he came down with a cold. Just then a thought occurred to him.

Matthew: Did I just have a real bad nightmare about everything?

He thought back to the events that he "thought" took place. Him and his friends were on Lyoko with Aelita as she was deactivating a tower. Then from out of the nowhere, the Guardians attacked them. Then the next thing he knew, he woke up in his room.

Matthew: Well, if I did then boy that was some nightmare. Well at least it's Saturday so I can just forget about the whole thing. But I wonder if the others think that it was a dream to?

Matthew put that thought in the back of his head for the moment as he hopped out of his bed and got himself dressed before heading to the shower and afterwards the cafeteria for breakfast. After his morning routine, Matthew arrived at the cafeteria. He could see, as usual, that it was packed to the brim with students. He looked for his friend's usual table and sure enough, he found it with the rest of the gang all sitting there eating. He quickly got his tray of food and walked over towards the table.

Matthew: Morning everyone.

Gang: Morning Matt.

Matthew: Hey guys, can I ask you something?

Natalie: What's on your mind?

Matthew: Do you guys remember anything about us being on Lyoko and getting attacked by some giant orange spheres that seemed indestructible?

The gang looked at Matthew confused.

Mariah: What are you talking about Matt?

Matthew: Wait...you guys don't remember anything about that?

Mariah: No...did you have a nightmare or something last night?

Matthew thought for a moment.

Matthew: I think I did considering the fact that you guys don't know what I'm talking about. Sorry if I got you worried or confused.

Gary: Ah don't sweat it mate. It happens to all of us from time to time.

Matthew: Yeah I guess. So anyway, what should we do this weekend?

Jonah: We're not real sure right now. We haven't been able to come up with anything.

Matthew: Hmm...well how about we just pass the time with some soccer or something?

Gary: That sounds fun.

Matthew: You girls wanna watch?

Alexis: Sure!

Matthew: Cool, but be warned Gary and Jonah, back when I lived in New York, I was the best player for our church's Youth Soccer Team. No one could steal the ball from me.

?: Is that right?

The gang turned and saw Brandon standing beside their table.

Brandon: You of all people Matthew were the best soccer player?

Matthew: Yeah I was. Why, do you think you're better?

Brandon: I don't think, I know I'm better.

Matthew: Oh really? Care to put your money where your mouth is?

Brandon: Is that a challenge?

Matthew: You bet it is! You and me at the soccer field at 10:00. We'll play to 5. Then, and only then, we'll see who is the best. So what do you say Brandon?

Matthew extended his hand and Brandon, smirking to himself, shook it.

Brandon: You're on Stephenson!

And he walked away to find a seat. The gang looked at Matthew a little worried.

Natalie: Are you sure this is a good idea?

Matthew: Don't worry Natalie, I'm fully capable of taking him down. You'll see.

And he went back to eating his breakfast. A couple of hours later, it was competition time. Matthew and Brandon were stretching themselves out and warming up for what was going to be a battle between the rivals. The gang sat in the bleachers on the outside of the track as well as Stephanie, Ulrich, and a few other students. After they were all warmed up, the two rivals stood at the middle of the field face-to-face. Ulrich came up with the ball and his whistle.

Ulrich: First the 5 points wins.

He set the ball between the two and blew his whistle. The contest was on. Quickly, Matthew swiped the ball away from Brandon and sprinted down towards his goal, but Brandon was coming up fast. He drew alongside him and was getting ready to steal the ball away from him. But before he could, Matthew gave a mighty kick and and knocked the ball straight into his goal, giving him the early lead. The crowd cheered at Matthew's early goal, while Brandon grew more upset. After Ulrich retrieved the ball, he threw it back out into the field, where this time Brandon was the one to get in front of Matthew at the last second and steal the ball with ease. He raced towards his goal with Matthew hot on his tail, but not fast enough, as Brandon kicked the ball into his goal evening out the score 1-1. This went on for the entirety of the match, with Matthew scoring one goal, and Brandon scoring after him. About 30 minutes later, the score was tied 4-4. The two rivals were out of breath but neither of them were ready to back down. They took their place at center field as Ulrich placed the ball down between them for the last time.

Ulrich: Score's tied 4-4. One more point for one of you will win the game.

He blew his whistle and in a split second, Brandon kicked the ball away from Matthew and ran off towards his goal. Matthew was hot on his tail and quickly drew alongside of him as Brandon was nearing his goal. The crowd watched in pure anxiousness and they saw Brandon get closer and closer to his goal. But before he could kick the ball in for the game winning goal, Matthew kicked the ball out from his feet and took off towards his goal. The crowd erupted with joy, while Brandon seethed with anger. Then he had a plan. He took off towards Matthew at a very rapid pace. When Matthew reached center field, Brandon was already beside him. Matthew could see his goal right in front of him and was just about to kick the ball in. But then, Brandon yelled out to him...

Brandon: I WILL NOT LOSE TO YOU!

Brandon then did something that Matthew never thought he would do. Gathering up all of his strength, Brandon body-slammed the right side of Matthew hard. Matthew yelled as the sudden sharp sensation of pain ran through his body. The blow from Brandon knocked him down on his side and he skidded along the grass. Because of the amount of rain that accumulated over the past few days, the grass was very slick. Matthew kept sliding along the grass, before hitting his head on the metal legs of the benches on the other side of the field. The crowd gasped in horror as Brandon took the ball away and scored the last goal.

Brandon: YES! I DID IT! I BEAT THE YANKEE!

But no one joined in the celebration. They were all waiting for Matthew to get back on his feet, but he didn't. Ulrich ran up towards Matthew and turned him over. He was out cold from colliding with the bench, and it showed from the head wound now present on his forehead. Ulrich knew right then that this was serious. He quickly dialed 911 and told them to hurry to Kadic. A few minutes later, the ambulance arrived. The paramedics put Matthew on a stretcher and hurried away to the hospital. Ulrich turned back to the students.

Ulrich: Matthew has had a bad head injury, but is likely going to be fine. However, he may not be back for a few days. So for now, everyone go about your business.

As the students left the stadium, no one seemed to notice the gang looking at Brandon and giving him a sly grin before walking away to the hospital. When they arrived, they found Matthew in his hospital bed with a large, white bandage around his forehead. He was still out cold from the accident, but the gang stayed there by his side. It was around 3 in the afternoon when Matthew finally came to. His eyes fluttered open for the first time since the accident.

Matthew: *groan* What happened?

The gang perked up excited.

Natalie: MATTHEW!

Natalie was the first over to his bed, giving him a big hug, followed by the rest of the gang joining in. Matthew could feel his friends hugging him, but even with his eyes open, he couldn't see them at all.

Matthew: Man...are all the lights off or something? I can't see anything.

The gang looked at each other, now concerned.

Jonah: Uh...the lights are all on.

Matthew: What? Are you sure? Because I can't see you guys at all.

Just then, realization dawned upon the gang. They remembered their conversation about their biggest fears a few nights ago.

Gary: Uh mate...what did you say your biggest fear was?

Matthew: It was going blind. Why do you ask?

Gary: Because...the lights area all on in here, your eyes are fully open, and yet...

Then, reality hit Matthew like Brandon's collision.

Matthew: ...No...no...no it can't be...SOMEONE GET ME THE DOCTOR QUICK!

Mariah ran out into the hall in search for a doctor. Luckily she didn't have to search long as she found one in the waiting room. She quickly explained the situation and the doctor followed her back to Matt's room. The doctor ran numerous eye exams on him and came out with the news that Matthew never wanted to hear.

Doctor: I'm sorry Matthew, but it seems that your collision with that metal bench has cost you your eyesight...forever.

The words rang in Matthew's head for a few moments. Several tears came in his now blind eyes.

Matthew: I'm finished...it's over...I'm blind.

Matthew couldn't see the evil grins appearing on the gang's faces.

Matthew: Are you guys going to help me with my work and getting around school now that I can't see?

Natalie: Sorry Matt, but there's nothing we can do for you now. You're on your own from now on.

Matthew couldn't believe what he had just heard. His friends were just abandoning him.

Matthew: WHAT?! I thought we were all best friends here. I thought us warriors would stick together no matter what. And I thought you of all people Natalie, being my girlfriend, would at least help your best friend and boyfriend in his time of need!

Natalie: Oh please, why would I help you. You obviously have a bigger crush on Stephanie and me so why don't you ask for her help!

With that, Natalie stomped away with the gang in tow, leaving Matthew hurt, broken, and blind. But something else was on his mind. He could have sworn he heard a very slight mechanical tone in Natalie's voice. But Matthew was so distraught, that he didn't think much of it.

* * *

**Boulonge-Billancourt**

**Ulrich's SUV**

Meanwhile, Jeremy, Maya, and Ulrich had just picked up Yumi, Odd, and William and were on their way to the factory. Jeremy began to explain the situation to his friends.

Jeremy: So it seems that while I was at home recovering from a cold on "Friday", XANA decided to attack and the young warriors went with Aelita to Lyoko to stop him. However, XANA must have tricked them and captured them, and then ultimately returning to the past to keep them on Lyoko, hence why it is now Thursday again for us.

Odd: Man, I knew something was wrong when I found out that I was eating the same breakfast again.

William: That's all it takes for you to figure out something's wrong isn't it.

Odd: Shut up William!

Yumi: Cool it you two. Jeremy's daughter is with us remember? Anyway, so what do you suggest we do Jeremy?

Jeremy: Get to the factory, send you all to Lyoko, and have you all try and find Aelita and the gang as quickly as possible. I just hope we'll find them in time before XANA destroys them for good.

Ulrich: Well then, we got no time to lose. LET'S ROLL!

Ulrich pressed down the throttle further and continued on towards the factory.

* * *

**Kadic Academy-Natalie's Room**

**Saturday-6:30 AM**

Radio: Top of the morning everyone, and happy Saturday! You're listening to 157.3, your Morning NEWS Radio.

Natalie: *gasp* What?!

Natalie jumped up at least 3 feet in the air at the sudden sound of her radio blaring in her ear. She looked around and saw that she was back in her room...much to her surprise and confusion. Reaching over to turn off her radio, she began to retrace her thoughts.

Natalie: Wa...wasn't I just in Lyoko with Mrs. Belpois and them?...Or did I just a dream about all that?

She considered both of her thoughts thoroughly. She could have sworn that she, the gang, and Aelita were just on Lyoko literally just a few seconds ago, then all of the sudden she woke up in her dorm room like it was all a dream.

Natalie: Maybe...it was just a dream after all...a real scary dream I might add.

She looked at her phone to check the weather and saw that it was bright and sunny compared to the days upon days of rain.

Natalie: Well at least it's Saturday and at least it stopped raining. Now I won't have to worry about it at all.

But one thing did worry her...

Natalie: But...does everyone else think that it was a dream?

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted when she heard a low growl...coming from her stomach.

Natalie: Hey stomach, shut up. I'll get us some food after I get myself ready.

And that's just what she did. After getting a shower, getting dressed, fixing her hair, brushing her teeth and the like, she made her way down to the cafeteria for breakfast. On her way, she saw the twin NEWS reporters of Kadic, Carrie and Casey standing in front of a bulletin board, and they appeared to be pinning what looked to be a small stack of orange paper to it. Natalie grew curious as the twins left for breakfast. She walked over to the board and gazed at the papers. She gasped at what she saw on it.

Natalie: _Think you got talent? Want to show it off? Then enter in Kadic Academy's 12th Annual Talent Show. Winner gets a $100 cash prize as well as an exclusive page in this year's Yearbook. Show starts next Saturday at 7 PM. All are welcome to support your fellow students as they show their hidden skills to the public. Please come to Carrie and Casey Schmidt for more information, questions, and to enter._

Natalie unpinned one of the papers from the stack and ran off towards the cafeteria to show her friends. When she arrived, she quickly spotted the gang at their usual table. Without even regarding to her growling stomach, she ran up to them excitedly.

Jonah: Woah there Natalie, where's the fire?

Natalie: Take a look at this guys!

She showed them the Talent Show Paper.

Alexis: A Talent Show?

Natalie: Yes! You remember how I said I want to be a famous singer when I grow up?

The gang all nodded.

Natalie: Well, though it may not be the thing that could launch my career, but it can be the moment where I can show you guys what I got. So what do you think everyone, should I go for it?

Matthew: Heck yes you should do it! And we'll be there cheering you on, right guys?

All: Right!

Natalie smiled.

Natalie: Thanks guys. Well I better find Carrie and Casey then get practicing.

Matthew: Hang on a second Natalie. Don't you think you should have breakfast first?

At that moment, Natalie's stomach growled again, begging for food.

Natalie: Heh oh yeah. I got so excited that I forgot to feed myself. Be right back.

She then left to grab some much needed breakfast. After coming out of the line with her tray of food, she noticed Carrie and Casey sitting at a nearby table. Remembering that the paper said to go to them to sign up, she walked over to their table.

Natalie: Hey Carrie and Casey.

Carrie: Oh hey Natalie.

Casey: What can we do for you?

Natalie: I saw the talent show papers and I wanted to tell you that I want to sign up.

Carrie: Great! Casey can you hand her the sign up sheet?

Casey pulled a clipboard out of her backpack with the sign-up sheet and handed it to Natalie.

Casey: Just sign your name here and your talent next to it.

So Natalie did. She signed her name and talent and handed the clipboard back to Casey.

Casey: First one to sign up. See you next Saturday.

With that Natalie went back to her table to eat with her friends. After breakfast, Natalie returned to her room and walked over to her closet. When she opened it, she saw her most cherished possession, her guitar case. She pulled the case out and brought out her favorite acoustic guitar.

Natalie: I knew I would use you sometime this year. Now all I have to do is figure out what song I should play.

After a few minutes of thinking, she decided that she would sing "Good Girl" by Carrie Underwood. She strummed a few chords and tuned the instrument to the perfect pitch before she began rehearsing. She made a plan that she would practice one verse at a time and replay the verse at least 5-10 times to make sure that she hit all of the notes and pitches perfectly. And then afterwards, she would combine the verses together and practice the whole song a few times before calling it a day. She did that same plan all day and pretty soon, it was nearly bedtime.

Natalie: _(to herself) Well that was a very productive day. Time to get some sleep and practice again tomorrow._

After changing into her night clothes, she crawled into bed and fell happily asleep. When she woke up the next morning however, she felt that her throat was really dry. She tired to speak...but couldn't. Instead, a few very hoarse coughs came from her mouth. Natalie was suddenly worried.

Natalie: _(to herself) Oh no...I have...lost my voice?!_

She decided to go see the nurse and quickly. She got herself dressed and rushed away to the nurses office. Once there, she knocked on the door.

Nurse: Come in!

Natalie entered a moment later. The nurse was surprised to see her.

Nurse: Good morning Natalie. What brings you here?

Natalie tried to tell the nurse what was happening, but she couldn't speak. She gave a few more coughs. The nurse looked at her puzzled.

Nurse: Are you alright young one?

Natalie motioned her hand to her throat. At that moment, the nurse knew what she was talking about.

Nurse: Is something wrong with your voice?

Natalie nodded.

Nurse: Hmm, let's have a look.

The nurse motioned Natalie to sit on one of the beds while she grabbed a wooden Popsicle stick. The nurse told Natalie to open her mouth wide and stick out her tongue. Natalie did so and the nurse took a good look in her mouth. She saw that her throat was dry and lumpy. She also noticed that Natalie seemed to have a slight runny nose to. On top of that, the dry and hoarse coughs that she gave out a few moments ago also indicated her problem.

Nurse: Well young Natalie, I'm afraid you have laryngitis. You've lost your voice.

This was the one thing that Natalie did not want to happen, especially just a week before the Talent Show.

Nurse: I also heard that you signed up for the Talent Show. How did I find that out, I'm going to be one of the judges. Anyway, I don't know when your voice will heal itself, but as of now, I don't think you'll be able to take part in the show. I'm sorry.

This was the worst news ever for Natalie. A small tear came into her eye.

Natalie: _(to himself) My beautiful voice...it's gone._

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

Nurse: Come in!

Matthew and the gang walked in much to the nurse's surprise.

Nurse: What are you all doing here?

Gary: We came to see why Natalie was taking so long to come to breakfast, when we heard you talking to her when we passed by.

Matthew: What's wrong with her?

Nurse: I'm afraid all of her practicing for the Talent Show has made her lose her voice. She won't be able to speak nor will she be able to participate in the show.

The nurse went over to her drawers and brought out a pad of paper and a pen.

Nurse: Do you know any sign language Natalie?

Natalie shook her head side to side.

Nurse: Well, use this to communicate with you friends. I'll give you all a few minutes to chat before I send you out.

So the nurse left the gang alone to talk, or try to talk, with Natalie.

Natalie: (on paper) This is the worst day of my life.

Alexis: Ah what are you blubbering for? You get to sit out of class because of your voice.

Natalie: (on paper) That reminds me, are you guys going to help me get my notes and work for my classes while my voice recovers.

The gang gave her a sly grin, to which made Natalie feel a little creeped out.

Matthew: Sorry Natalie, but without your voice, you're on your own now.

Natalie's eyes went wide at what her boyfriend just said.

Natalie: (on paper) EXCUSE ME?! What happened to being there for your girlfriend through thick and thin Matt?

Matthew: Are you kidding? I've seen the way you look at Brandon. You love him more than me, so why don't you ask for his help?

Natalie was hurt. Small tears came into her eyes.

Natalie: (on paper) Get out...GET OUT ALL OF YOU AND NEVER SPEAK TO ME AGAIN!

The gang happily obliged and left Natalie in the Nurse's Office to cry her eyes out.

* * *

**Kadic Academy-Gary and Jonah's Room**

**Saturday-6:30 AM**

Groaning and grumbling, Gary slowly sat up from...his bed?

Gary: Wait what? How the bloody heck did I end up here?

Gary looked around he and Jonah's room, still confused. He then heard Jonah start to wake up.

Jonah: *yawn* Morning Gary.

Gary: Uh...morning mate.

Jonah: Hey man, you alright? You look like your confused.

Gary: I kinda am...Jonah...do you remember us being on Lyoko with Mrs. Belpois and all of the sudden we were attacked by these...giant orange floating spheres?

Jonah gave him a blank stare.

Jonah: I have absolutely no idea what your talking about Gary.

Gary: Huh? Are you sure?

Jonah: Yeah, I'm sure. Sounds to me like you just had a bad dream about that.

Gary pondered at what his roommate said. Was it is all a dream?

Gary: Maybe you're right Jonah. Sorry about that.

Jonah: It can happen to all us. Now let's get some food before my stomach starts to eat itself.

Gary chuckled as he and Jonah hopped out of their beds and got themselves ready for a surprisingly sunny Saturday. When they arrived, they found their friends at their usual table and after getting their breakfast portion, they walked on over to join them.

Gary &amp; Jonah: Hey guys!

Alexis: Hey you two. Took you guys long enough to get here.

Jonah: Sorry about that. Gary was telling me about a weird dream he had last night.

Mariah: What kind of dream?

Gary: A real strange one that you guys might find funny. Mrs. Belpois was subbing for Mr. Belpios in Matthew's class after he came down with a cold during all that rain. XANA started to attack and we all went with Mrs. Belpois to Lyoko to stop him. Well, strangely enough, we didn't see any monsters when we got to the tower and she easily went inside. Well while she was in there, we were suddenly ambushed by some large orange spheres that seemed indestructible. We ran for our lives and all of the sudden I woke up.

The gang looked at Gary with bemusement.

Matthew: Now that sounds like a weird nightmare.

Gary: I'm telling ya mate, it felt so real. But I'm glad it was just a dream. Who knows what could have happened to us if those things actually existed on Lyoko.

Matthew: Let's not worry about that man. It was just a dream and nothing more. So anyway guys, what's the plans for this weekend?

Gary: I was actually going to head to the soccer field just to kick my ball around, you know since it's actually a nice day for once. You guys wanna come with?

Mariah: Sure, why not. It'd be nice to get out after all that rain.

Matthew: You can say that again.

About 2 hours, Gary arrived at the soccer field with his soccer ball. The gang were waiting for him at the field when he arrived. None of them seemed to notice that there were 2 large wasps nest hanging on the roof of the building above the the bleachers. Natalie was quite right, it was a lovely day. A bit chilly with it still being January, but after the days of constant rain, they didn't care. All six young warriors were in a large circle kicking the ball around and having a good time.

Alexis: Hey Gary, how hard can you kick the ball?

Gary: I can kick it pretty hard. Wanna see?

Alexis: Go for it.

Gary: Alright, you guys might wanna move back a bit.

So the gang moved back towards the bleachers as Gary placed the ball down and took a few steps back. Then, he charged at the ball with great speed and with a mighty kick, launched the ball into the air. However, there was a problem. Gary usually kicks better with his left foot, and this time was no exception. However, when he kicked the ball, it didn't end up going straight forward, but instead got kicked to the right side where the bleachers and the gang were standing. And worse still, only then did Gary realize what the ball was going to hit...the large wasps nest. Fear ran down his spine as things seemed to play in slow motion.

Gary: GUYS LOOK ABOVE YOU!

The gang looked and gasped in horror as they saw the wasps nest hanging right above them and saw the ball coming towards it. Without thinking twice, the gang ran for cover leaving Gary all by his lonesome.

Gary: HEY, WHERE ARE YOU LOT GOING?

The gang didn't answer as the ball got closer to the nest.

Gary: Oh crikey...

The ball slammed straight into the nest and fell to the ground. The wasps were furious and decided to take their anger out on poor Gary. They swarmed around him and began stinging him. Gary was scared for his life as he tried to swat the insects away, but it was no good.

Gary: HELP! SOMEONE PLEASE!

Without thinking, Gary ran away from the field to try and outrun the wasps, but the bugs were hot on his heels, still very angry about their home getting destroyed.

* * *

**Abandoned Factory-Computer Lab**

The large industrial doors of the old elevator opened up revealing the computer lab once again. Little Maya couldn't believe her eyes.

Maya: Wooooooow...what is all this Dad?

Jeremy: Consider this my hobby. But no time to dwell on that. Maya, you stay here with me for now. Ulrich, Odd, Yumi, and William, head for the scanners quick.

William: On it.

The 4 warriors descended further down into the factory and towards the scanner room while Maya stood beside her father staring at the large and very complex supercomputer in awe. Moments later, the warriors arrived.

Jeremy: Aelita and the gang could be anywhere, so I'm going to send you all to different sectors. Ulrich, your first.

So Ulrich stepped in as Jeremy started up the virtualization process.

Jeremy: Transfer Ulrich. Scanner Ulrich. Virtualization.

* * *

**Lyoko-Forest Sector**

Ulrich dropped into the Forest Sector moments later.

Ulrich: So what do you want us to do?

Jeremy: Look around the entire sector. Check ever nook and cranny there for any signs of Aelita or the young gang.

Ulrich: I'm on Jeremy.

And Ulrich ran off into the dense virtual forest while Jeremy began the virtualization process again.

Jeremy: Your turn Yumi. Transfer Yumi. Scanner Yumi. Virtualization.

* * *

**Lyoko-Ice Sector**

Soon, Yumi was virtualized into the Ice Sector and as soon as she touched down to the ground, she took off running in search for the missing warriors.

Jeremy: William, you're next. Transfer William. Scanner William. Virtualization.

* * *

**Lyoko-Desert Sector**

William dropped down into the dusty virtual desert a moment later and began searching for the Aelita and the gang. Finally Jeremy started up the virtualization process one last time.

Jeremy: You're the last to go Odd. Transfer Odd. Scanner Odd. Virtualization.

* * *

**Lyoko-Mountain Sector**

Finally, Odd was the last to drop in to the virtual Mountain Sector. He began running through the sector in search for his friends. Back at the computer lab, Maya tugged at her father's shirt to get his attention.

Maya: Daddy, do you really think that Mom is in...whatever that is?

Jeremy: I certainly hope so Maya.

Maya: Well...what if she's not?

Jeremy was hoping she didn't ask that question, for he didn't have an answer.

Jeremy: ...Then I don't know...I really don't know.

Yumi: Don't worry Jeremy. We'll find Aelita and the gang.

Odd: Yeah Einstein, we got your back.

William: You just keep a look out for us in case XANA decides to say hi.

Ulrich: And we'll do our best here to find them.

Jeremy couldn't help but give a small smile.

Jeremy: Thanks guys.

* * *

**Kadic Academy- Gary and Jonah's Room**

**Saturday-6:30 AM**

Jonah's eye suddenly flashed open as he sat up from his bed panting like mad. His vision was slightly blurry from waking up so quickly, but after a few moments his vision cleared up and he got a good look of his surroundings and noticed that he was no longer on Lyoko.

Jonah: Huh? Ooooookay? This is weird...

Gary: *yawn* What's weird mate?

Jonah looked over to see his roommate now awake.

Jonah: Umm...no...nothing.

Gary: Sure doesn't sound like nothing.

Jonah: Ok ok. What's weird was I thought that we were just on Lyoko with Matthew, Mrs. Belpois and them and then we got attacked by some orange ball looking things and now all of the sudden we're here.

Gary: What are you on about now Jonah?

Jonah's wide went wide for a second.

Jonah: Don't you remember? We were just on Lyoko and now we're here.

Gary: Heh, sounds like you had a nightmare. And by the sound of it, it must have been a bad one.

Jonah took a moment to comprehend what his friend had said. Surely, he thought, that they were just on Lyoko with Aelita and for some odd reason, he woke up back in his room.

Jonah: Maybe you're right Gary, maybe I'm just going a little overboard with this.

Gary: Ah don't worry about Jonah, it's all good. Now let's get dressed and get some food. I'm hungry.

So the two friends got themselves ready for the day, but as they were getting themselves dressed, Jonah could hear the faint pitter-patter of what sounded like raindrops hitting the window. Groaning to himself, he knew what kind of weather today was going to have.

Jonah: Sounds like Mother Nature isn't ready to stop crying huh Gary.

Gary: Yeah, it seems that way. But by the sound of it, it might be letting up soon.

Jonah: Yeah I guess. How many days has it been going on now?

Gary: I stopped counting after Wednesday's storm.

Jonah chuckled to himself as he and Gary got their clothes on and headed out for breakfast. Over at the cafeteria...

Mariah: Well guys, looks like we might get the chance to actually get outside today.

Jonah: Well, it's about time.

Mariah: Sounds like someone hasn't had a good start to the day.

Jonah: You know me and rain don't go very well together.

Mariah: Touché.

Matthew: Anyway guys, any plans for today?

Jonah: Sorry, but I got plans. I gotta catch up on my History homework and I sometimes like to do it outside in the park where it's quiet so that I can focus.

Natalie: That's understandable.

Mariah: That work on The Cold War was a bit hard.

Matthew: For you guys maybe.

Mariah playfully shoved Matthew.

Jonah: Anyway guys, sorry I can't hang out today.

Alexis: That's alright. Hopefully you'll get all of your work done today so that we can hang out as a whole tomorrow.

Jonah: I'll try. See you later!

Gang: LATER!

With that, Jonah picked up his tray and walked away to his room to grab his books and his homework. A few minutes later, Jonah was leaning against a large Oak Tree in Kadic's park doing his homework. To his surprise, the ground wasn't all that wet even from all the rain that had fallen over the past few days. Jonah was confused as to why, but quickly put the thought to the back of his mind and went back to focusing on his homework. However, he failed to notice that the clouds above him started to turn dark gray. More rain was on the way, but Jonah was so focused on getting his work down that he didn't notice at all. He had been working hard over the last hour and 15 minutes or so and was nearly done with all of his History homework, when suddenly he heard a low roar of thunder, followed by a small rain drop landing on his head. Jonah looked up and saw the dark sky looming above him.

Jonah: Oh great, not again.

Without thinking twice, he quickly packed up his bag with all of his work to keep it from getting wet. And just in time to, because as soon as he finished packing, the heavens opened up and rain pelted down. Jonah got to his feet and ran off to find some shelter. The first thing he saw was the Garden Shed. Normally it was against the rules for any students to be near it, but Jonah was desperate to get out of the rain that he didn't care what the regulations said. He stepped into the shed and shut the door behind him before sitting against the wall catching his breath.

Jonah: I'll stay here until the storm passes, then I'll head back to the dorms and finish my work there.

But Jonah was in for a surprise. Outside of the shed, he could hear the wind starting to pick up speed dramatically. The rain pounded against the windows so hard, that to Jonah they sounded like they were about to break. Then, Jonah could hear the sound of what he could describe as "sharper" rain. Rising to his feet, he peered out one of the windows and gasped at what he saw. It was hail that looked to be about the size of a quarter. At that point, Jonah began to feel scared. He had witnessed this type event before in his life and hoped to never have to go through it again. But unfortunately, fate had something different in mind. Just then, Jonah heard the loud blaring sound of sirens going off behind him. Chills ran down his spine as he walked over to another window to have a look. He regretted his decision as he gasped at what he saw.

Jonah: Oh...no...

It was a tornado that looked to be like a EF3 category. But to Jonah, it was his worst nightmare. The horrible memories of his vacation in America came flooding back into his brain. He backed up against the wall and began to tremble in fear. Panic took over his mind and he didn't know what to do.

Jonah: HELP ME SOMEONE PLEASE!

He got out his phone and dialed Gary's number.

_Gary: Hello?_

Jonah: Gary help me! I'm trapped in the Garden Shed and there's a tornado outside that looks to be coming my way.

_Gary: Heh, sorry mate! But we can't. We're all down here in the basement of Kadic waiting out the storm. I'm afraid you're on your own now._

Jonah: WHAT?! YOU CAN't JUST LEAVE ME HERE! WHAT KIND OF FRIEND ARE YOU TO LEAVE HIS BEST BUD STRANDED?!

_Gary: A friend that does this. *click*_

The call ended, leaving Jonah furious and scared for his life.

* * *

**Kadic Academy-Mariah's Room**

**Saturday-6:30 AM**

Mariah: *groan* Oooooh man...what happened?

Mariah slowly opened her eyes, then in a split second flashed them wide open in astonishment to see that she was back in her dorm room.

Mariah: WHAT?! What the heck am I doing here? I was just on Lyoko.

Mariah was utterly confused as to what in the world was going on, but her thoughts were cut short by the sound of someone knocking on her door. Mariah jumped slightly at the sound but managed to calm herself down before speaking again.

Mariah: It's unlocked, come on in!

The door opened and Alexis stepped in wearing a long dark green nightshirt and socks. She rubbed her eyes, obviously still trying to wake herself up.

Alexis: I heard someone shouting. Was that you?

Mariah: Yes it was me. It's because I woke up in my room after you, me, our friends, and Mrs. Belpois were on Lyoko fighting XANA.

Alexis looked at her confused.

Alexis: Are you talking crazy again? I don't remember any of that.

Mariah was dumbfounded.

Mariah: WHAT?! Surely you must remember at least a little bit of what happened!

Alexis: I'm telling you the truth Mariah. I don't know what you're talking about.

Mariah: Maybe you just need a little help in remembering, so I'll tell you what happened. We went to Lyoko with Mrs. Belpois to stop XANA's attack. We got the the tower safely, but for some reason, XANA's monsters didn't show up and Mrs. Belpois got in the tower easily. Then all of the sudden, we heard a weird screeching noise and then from behind the tower, these giant orange floating orbs attacked us, and we couldn't damage them whatsoever. Then all of the sudden I end up here and so do you. Does that ring a bell?

Alexis was looking even more confused, but let out a small laugh.

Alexis: By the way you just told your story, it sounds like you just had a bad dream.

Mariah: But it wasn't a dream. I'm sure it was...

Mariah stopped her sentence and thought back to what she told Alexis. Now that she mentioned it, her little rant did sound like it was a nightmare.

Mariah: ...Actually...I think you might be right.

Alexis: Aren't I always.

Mariah: Oh shut up.

She playfully threw her pillow at Alexis' face, making both girls laugh. Just then, Natalie walked over to them fully dressed and ready to go.

Natalie: Sounds like you two woke up nice today, but can you guys hurry up? My stomach feels like it's eating itself.

Mariah: Go ahead without us Natalie, we'll join you later.

Natalie nodded and turned to head for breakfast, while Mariah and Alexis went their separate ways and got themselves ready for the day. Mariah was the first to get ready and was waiting for Alexis to finish up. However, nature was calling Mariah's name and the longer she waited the more she had to hold it in. Soon, Mariah gave up and knocked on Alexis' door.

Mariah: Go ahead and go to breakfast without me. I gotta use the little girl's room. I'll meet up with you later.

Alexis: Ok see ya there!

And Mariah quickly walked away to the ladies' room. A few minutes later, she came out of the bathroom feeling much better, but now even more hungry.

Mariah: Geez stomach, settle down. We'll get to have breakfast as soon as we get to the cafeteria.

Without wasting anymore time arguing with her stomach, she walked away towards the cafeteria. Along the way, she could here the sound of someone struggling with something. Curious, she turned a corner and could see Ulrich trying to lift a heavy box from the school's attic while trying to keep his balance on the small ladder. She could see that he needed help so she walked over.

Mariah: Excuse me Coach Ulrich?

Ulrich: Huh?...Oh good morning Mariah.

Mariah: Do you need some help with that?

Ulrich: I would very much appreciate that. Just climb up there and try to push the package down while I try to pull it out. Just be careful not to slip down the ladder.

Mariah: Ok Coach.

So Ulrich moved aside and let young Mariah climb up the ladder and into the school's attic. Mariah gasped when she got in. This was the first time she had seen the attic of Kadic and could see boxes and packages scattered all over the place with a small layer of dust settling on top. Casting those thoughts aside, she went back to the task at hand and that was helping Ulrich. She grabbed the box from behind and slowly but surely pushed it out of the attic and into Ulrich's arms. Ulrich took over from there as he pulled the big box out of the attic's entrance and set it down on the ground.

Ulrich: Whew. Thanks Mariah, but there's still one more box up there that I need your help with. It's a box that's the same size as this one but has the words "Spare Gym Equipment" written in marker on the side.

Mariah: Let me see if I can find it.

So Mariah walked further into the dusty attic in search for the package. However, she failed to notice the evil smirk that appeared on Ulrich's face. He grabbed a hold of the ladder and was about to take it off the attic's entrance. Meanwhile, Mariah kept looking for the box that Ulrich described to her, but couldn't find it anywhere.

Mariah: I can't seem to find it Coach. You sure that there's another one you need?

She waited for Ulrich to reply, but no answer came.

Mariah: Uhh...Coach?

Suddenly, she heard the loud slam of a door followed by the clicking of a lock. Panicking, Mariah rushed back to the attic's door only to find it completely shut. She tried to pull it back open, but couldn't. It was locked.

Mariah: Coach? COACH! HELP! I'M LOCKED IN HERE!

She received no answer at all as she continued to try and pry the door open. The suddenly, she heard a loud squeaking noise coming from above her. She slowly looked up and then jumped backwards in fear as she saw 6 bats hanging upside down all looking at her. Fumbling for her cell phone, she pulled it out and dialed Alexis' number.

_Alexis: Mariah, where are you?_

Mariah: Guys, h...help me. I'm trapped in the attic and there's b...b..bats hanging in front of me.

Mariah was close to breaking down into tears as her biggest fear stared at her. Alexis, on the other line, gave a sly grin to the gang who in turn grinned back.

Mariah: Guys? Are you there? *click* GUYS?!

The line was suddenly cut off, much to Mariah's surprise and anger. But then fear took back over when she saw the bats take flight and started flying lowly around her. She squealed at the top of her lungs and curled up in a ball, tears flowing down her cheeks.

Mariah: _(to herself) Why guys? Why would you just leave me here?_ SOMEONE HELP ME PLEASE!

* * *

**Abandoned Factory-Computer Lab**

Jeremy: Any signs of life out there?

Ulrich: Sorry Jeremy, but I don't see anything...at least not yet. But I'll keep looking.

Jeremy: *sigh* What about you Odd?

Odd: I wish I had some good news for ya Einstein, but sadly there's nothing over at my end either.

Jeremy: Oh no...Yumi?

Yumi: That's a negative Jeremy. No signs of Aelita or the youngsters.

Jeremy: This can't be...William?

William: I'm sorry to Jeremy, but I have nothing new to report. It's completely deserted in the Desert Sector.

Jeremy help his head in his hands frustrated and worried. Maya walked closer to him with tears in her small eyes.

Maya: Dad? I'm scared for Mom.

Jeremy pulled her in for a tight hug.

Jeremy: I'm not ready to give up on finding her. Just be patient with us. We'll find her in no time.

Maya gave a small smile, but deep down she wasn't so sure if her father could find Aelita.

* * *

**Kadic Academy-Alexis' Room**

**Saturday-6:30 AM**

Alexis slowly opened her eyes and sat up in her bed. Her vision took a moment to adjust itself to the early morning rising sun, but after a few moments it cleared up giving her a clear view of her surroundings. And to her surprise, she was back in her room at Kadic.

Alexis: ...Uh...wasn't I just on Lyoko?

Alexis tried her best to figure out how she got back to Earth, but couldn't think of a single good reason.

Alexis: Ok, what the heck is going on? I'm sure I was just on Lyoko and now for some crazy reason I'm back in my room. This has to be a dream and all I need to do is just pinch myself and I'll wake up.

So Alexis pinched her forearm quite hard that she yelped out in pain.

Alexis: YOWCH!...Ok...that hurt a lot.

Suddenly there was a knock at her door.

Alexis: Come in!

In came Natalie.

Natalie: I heard you scream from in here and I got worried. You okay?

Alexis: Uhh...I'm not sure that "okay" is the right word.

Natalie: What do you mean?

Alexis: Don't you remember? We were all just on Lyoko with Mrs. Belpois and then we were attacked by these orange orbs and now you and me and probably everyone else is back here at Kadic. Don't you find that weird?

Natalie chuckled a bit and spoke again.

Natalie: I find it weird that you're explaining this to me. You probably just had a bad dream.

Alexis thought for a second. She was so sure that she was just on Lyoko a few seconds ago, but after pondering what Natalie said and after her sharp pain from her pinch, she came to a conclusion.

Alexis: Maybe you right Nat. Maybe it was just a dream and I should calm down and get on with today.

Natalie: That's the spirit! Now get yourself ready so we can go and eat.

Alexis: Ok, give me a sec.

A few minutes later, Alexis was dressed and ready to go and followed Natalie down to the cafeteria. When they arrived, they found the rest of the gang at their table already eating. Grabbing their portion of food, they walked over to join them

Alexis: Hey guys! Sorry to keep you waiting.

Gary: Ah it's no problem. So what's new?

Natalie: Alexis, was telling me about a strange dream that she had last night.

Mariah: What was it?

Alexis: We were on Lyoko fighting XANA with Mrs. Belpois when all of the sudden, these giant orange spheres came out of nowhere and attacked us while Mrs. Belpois was in the tower. After that, I woke up.

Matthew: Wow...that is weird. Well good thing that it was a dream.

Alexis: Why is that?

Matthew: If those things actually existed on Lyoko, we would probably be sitting ducks.

Alexis: That's true.

They dropped the subject on the dream and continued on eating. About 15 minutes later, Mr. Hamilton the principle walked into the cafeteria and walked up to the gang's table, startling the young warriors slightly.

Jonah: WOAH! ...Holy cow sir, you scared us.

Mr. Hamilton: My apologies Jonah. Anyway, Alexis I would for you to come to my office after breakfast. There's somethings that we need to discuss.

Alexis: Umm...alright sir.

With that, Mr. Hamilton walked away leaving Alexis feeling worried.

Mariah: What are you worrying about Alexis? Who knows, it might a representative from a University that wants to offer you a scholarship.

Alexis felt better.

Alexis: That would be nice. Well, I'll find out soon enough.

After finishing her breakfast, she bid her friends adieu and walked away to the principle's office. But when she arrived, she found that Mr. Hamilton wasn't alone. Alexis gasped as she saw who was standing next to him. It was a young woman that looked to be about 20 years old and had shoulder length black hair and wore a blue shirt with white chevrons, black jeans and shoes, and wore a small diamond bracelet on her left wrist. Alexis finally found her voice.

Alexis: TAMMY?!

Tammy: Hello dear sister.

Mr. Hamilton: I'll leave you two to talk.

And Mr. Hamilton walked out of the office as Tammy took his seat behind the desk and Alexis pulled up a chair.

Alexis: What are you doing here? Not that I'm not happy to see you.

Tammy: I'm afraid I have some bad news.

Alexis: Huh?

Tammy pulled out a piece of paper and showed it to her sister.

Tammy: This is your current report card.

Alexis was confused as to why her sister was showing her her grades. But she took the card and looked at it, but soon regretted her decision when she saw what was on it.

Alexis: WHAT?! It's all D's and F's! How did that happen?

Tammy: That is an answer that I hope you have Alexis.

Alexis noticed a slight tone of anger in Tammy's voice.

Alexis: What's going on here?

Tammy: What's going on is that you're not living up to the standards of our family! You know how strict Dad is on our grades and how we're doing at school.

Alexis: That's because YOU set the standards with your near perfect scores and now he wants me to do the same. And I'll tell you this, that is what I was shooting for.

Tammy: Well apparently you haven't tried hard enough according to your report card!

Alexis: On all my tests and homework, I have got passing grades. Every. Single. Thing. This report card has to be wrong, it just has to be.

Tears started to flood Alexis' eyes as Tammy sighed and spoke again.

Tammy: I'm sorry Alexis, but I just don't believe you this time. Dad had expectations of you passing with flying colors, but I can tell you, after he found out your grades, he was not happy. And neither was Mom or me.

Alexis: Bu...but this can't be right...

Tammy: I hate to say this Alexis, but you have failed us as a family.

This was the last straw for Alexis. She ripped her report card to shreds and stormed out of the office, tears streaking down her face.

Alexis: How could she say that? My own sister?

Alexis didn't stop running until she got back to her room and cried into her pillow, feeling sad, hurt, and betrayed by her family.

* * *

**Lyoko-Unknown Location**

?: Look at them, the pathetic excuse of warriors.

The misty figure was staring at multiple screens on the tower's interface. He was watching the warriors struggle to find the gang and Aelita.

?: Now that their on Lyoko, it's time to put the next stage of my place into action.

The figure activated a virtualization program that had a picture of several Bloks and the new Mantis monster. Over in the Desert Sector, William was still trying to find any signs of life from Aelita or the gang, but was having no luck at all. Suddenly, he heard the sound of buzzing coming from in front of him.

William: Huh? What's that noise?

In the distance, he saw a plume of dust coming towards him. William brought out his giant blade and prepared himself for battle.

William: Jeremy, there's something in front of me, but I can't tell what it is. It's covering itself with dust.

Jeremy: Hang tight William, I'll see what it is.

Jeremy did a scan of the area near William and saw what the monster was and gasped.

Jeremy: William, it's the Mantis!

William: WHAT?!

Suddenly, the dust settled and there overshadowing William was XANA's new Mantis. Just then, a group of 5 Bloks came out from behind the rocks and surrounded William from behind.

William: Well this has taken a turn for the worst.

But William wasn't the only one. In the other 3 Sectors, the warriors have also encountered the Mantis as well as a group of Bloks.

Jeremy: Guys, do your best to try and beat them...for the gang and Aelita.

Odd: This isn't gonna be easy you know.

Jeremy: Since when are XANA's attacks ever easy?

Odd: Good point. BANZAI!

The warriors all began to attack the Mantis first to try and destroy it, while the misty figure watched in amusement.

?: If everything goes according to plan, they'll be knocked into The Digital Sea and be devirtualized forever. Now, I wonder how my special guest is doing?

The misty figure suddenly disappeared in a swirling vortex of black smoke.

* * *

**Boulogne-Billancourt**

**Belpois Residence**

**Friday-8:30 PM**

Aelita: *groan* Oooooh...my head.

Aelita slowly sat up with her mind a little hazy. She slowly opened her eyes, the gasped at what she saw.

Aelita: *gasp* Impossible. I'm back home. Wait...Jeremy?

She looked to the right side of the bed to see if her husband was there, but he wasn't. Aelita was confused. She looked at the clock and saw that it was 8:30 at night, but when she looked at her phone for the date, she saw that it was Friday, meaning Jeremy should have been home. And he should have been home resting and recovering from his cold. Getting herself out of bed and getting dressed, she walked around the house to see if he was home.

Aelita: Jeremy? Jeremy where are you?

There was no answer. Aelita checked all around. She checked the kitchen, the backyard, the front porch, the garage, the bathroom, his Study Hall, but still could not find him. She then got out her cell phone and dialed his number and waited anxiously for him to pick up.

Aelita: Come on Jeremy, pick up will you please?

But she received no answer. Feeling more worried, she went upstairs to see if Maya knew of his whereabouts. She knocked on her daughter's door.

Aelita: Maya? Are you in there?

There was no reply.

Aelita: Maya?

Still nothing. Aelita was growing more and more concerned. She twisted the doorknob and was surprised to find it unlocked. Slowly she opened the door, and gasped when she found the room empty. Maya was nowhere to be found.

Aelita: Maya? Jeremy? Where are you all?

Aelita began to panic. Then suddenly, her cell phone rang. She looked at the number and saw that it was unfamiliar, but answered it anyway.

Aelita: He...hello?

_?: I have the answers you need._

The voice on the other line had a low and demonic tone to it.

Aelita: Who is this?

_?: I have your husband and daughter with me._

Aelita: Where are they?! TELL ME!

_?: Come to the old Renault Factory and all will be revealed._

Aelita froze as the mysterious caller hung up. Did he know something the factory...or about Lyoko. Aelita quickly ran outside and got inside her car before racing away down the street. When she arrived, she screeched to a halt on the bridge before getting out and swinging down the ropes into the factory. It was dark inside the old facility with a small layer of fog rolling in. Aelita was scared, but tried to put on a brave face.

Aelita: Hello? Anyone here?

Suddenly, a voice came from behind her.

?: Mom?

Aelita: Maya?!

Maya: I'm behind you Mom!

Aelita turned around and in a dim light, she could see Maya on the floor with her hands tied behind her. Aelita rushed over to her aid.

Aelita: Are you okay? Who did this to you? And where is your father?

Maya: You wouldn't believe me if I told you.

Aelita: What are you talking about? Who did this?

?: I DID!

The voice boomed around the factory making Aelita jump. She looked around for the source of the voice, but found nobody.

Aelita: Wh...who's there? Are you the one behind all this?

?: Not only this, but I am also behind everything else that has happened in your life. Not just your life, but your friend's and your husband's life.

Aelita: What do you mean?

?: You seriously do not remember? Allow me to explain. 30 years ago, I was created by a man to destroy a project of his, but I deceived him and seeked to rule everything. However, I was shut down after he and his daughter entered my world. Until 10 years later, when a young boy and his friend's discovered me and reactivated me. They met the girl who came with the man, and brought her to Earth to live a normal life. Then they set out to destroy me once and for all. And they nearly succeeded, and shut me down 2 years later. I have spent the last 20 years regathering my data and regenerating my power, waiting for the exact moment to reappear. I got that chance 20 years later when a young man and his gang discovered this place and reactivated me once more. Then, the ones who thought they destroyed me in the first place, got dragged into it once again. And now here we are. Does that explain it all my dear?

Aelita could not believe what she was hearing. It seemed almost impossible for her to be communicating with the one who was set out to destroy her, her father, and all of mankind.

Aelita: I...I don't believe it...

Suddenly, a loud clap of thunder roared around the factory. The thin layer of fog turned into black smoke. The smoke swirled around in a vortex in front of Aelita and Maya. A evil and demonic laugh could be heard from inside the smoke. Then, the smoke cleared and there standing in front of her, was the misty figure. Only this time, he wasn't a misty being anymore. His feet had been replaced with red armored metal boots with black trimming. His torso was covered with a red and black trimming armored chestplate. His arms were covered with gray armored gloves with black gauntlets with red spikes covering them. But the scariest feature of the being was that of his head. It was a skull that was surrounded in black smoke and had a bright red mark on the forehead, a mark that Aelita had seen far too many times before. It was the Eye of XANA. Aelita trembled in fear as her biggest rival was standing in front of her in person.

Aelita: It's you...XANA!

XANA: So glad you finally recognize me!

Aelita: Where are my friends? WHERE'S JEREMY?!

XANA: Cutting right to the chase are we? Very well, they're over there.

A light turned on on the other side of the factory and Aelita could see Jeremy, Ulrich, Odd, Yumi, and William all there on the floor, unconscious, tied up and gagged.

Aelita: What have you done to them?!

XANA: Normally I would destroy them by now, but I decided to keep them alive and have you watch.

Aelita: I won't let you! I'll stop you! We'll all stop you! We know how to destroy you XANA! My father told us in his message.

XANA laughed loudly.

XANA: I can't believe you actually believed that message.

Aelita was confused.

Aelita: What do you mean?

XANA: Your father didn't send that message. Heh heh heh...I DID!

Aelita's jaw dropped to the floor.

Aelita: Wh..what? Why would you send us an encrypted message telling us how to destroy you?

XANA: I did it to lure you pathetic warriors and your young counterparts in. I figured if I told you how to destroy me, it would give you all the motivation to come and find me. And that would be when I would strike. However, some of my plans to do that have failed. So I decided, instead of trying to destroy you on Lyoko, I would destroy you right here on Earth. And besides, your father is dead after he gave himself up to launch that Anti-XANA program that failed to get rid of me.

Aelita was now scared for her life. Maya was also frightened beyond words.

Aelita: I...I won't let you do this!

XANA: Foolish girl. You cannot defeat me! I'll start by destroying you first!

XANA summoned a dark electric orb in his hands and threw it at Aelita. But Aelita jumped out of the way just in time, missing the orb by inches. Maya also just barely got out of the way. XANA summoned another orb and stared coldly at Aelita, while Aelita shook in fear.

* * *

**Lyoko-Forest Sector**

Ulrich and the other warriors were fighting hard to try and defeat the Bloks and the Mantis, however it was a very tough fight indeed, but they were able to make progress. Ulrich sprinted around and around the Mantis to try and confuse it and then jumped up in the air and stabbed one of the XANA Eyes before coming back down and running towards the Bloks. He quickly stabbed at 3 of them and destroyed them with ease. Then, the Mantis flew behind the Bloks and looked like it was ready to attack. Ulrich readied his blades again and prepared himself to hit the other XANA Eye. He waited for the Mantis to attack, but to his surprise, it didn't. Instead, it did something that shocked Ulrich. The Mantis grabbed a hold of one of the Bloks with it's massive arms and actually ate the small monster whole. Then, a faint red aura pulsed around the Mantis and faded away a second later.

Ulrich: WOAH!

Jeremy: What's the matter Ulrich?

Ulrich: You probably not going to believe this, but the Mantis just ate one of the Bloks.

Jeremy was shocked to hear what Ulrich had said, but Ulrich wasn't the only one to witness the strange event. In the other sectors, Yumi, William, and Odd all saw the Mantis eat away at a Blok or two after they had damaged one of the Mantis's eyes. Jeremy as trying to piece together what the Mantis was doing. Then suddenly, he remembered Matthew's analysis of the Mantis after their contest. He remembered that one feature of the Mantis was unreadable and concluded that it was a mystery ability. Well...it was no longer a mystery now.

Jeremy: Guys, I just remembered. Matthew's analysis of the Mantis had a feature that I couldn't figure out. And hearing you guys say that the Mantis was eating the Bloks...well it looks like that was the Mantis's secret ability. He Mantis eats its allies in order for it to regenerate its lost lifepoints.

The warriors gasped in horror at what Jeremy had just told them. But they put that aside and went back to battle. They were able to get rid of the last few Bloks and now focused their attention on the Mantis. But they were having very little luck, but didn't back down. While the warriors were fighting, Jeremy did a scan around each of the sectors to see if he could find any traces of the gang or Aelita. While he was scanning around, he picked up some kind of strange activity.

Jeremy: Huh? What's going on.

He looked at the HoloMap and saw that it was actually coming from Sector 5.

Jeremy: Guys, I'm picking up something coming from Sector 5.

Odd: You think it might be Aelita or the young ones?

Jeremy: We'll soon find out.

So Jeremy began a scan of the entire HoloSphere System. He found that it was coming from the core room. Normally if there was something happening at Lyoko's Core, it would be XANA's monsters trying to destroy it. But to Jeremy's surprise, there were no monsters in the Core's Chamber. Instead, there was only one entity. Puzzled, Jeremy zoomed in on the entity and ran a scan of it. When the results came in, he gasped. Although, he couldn't see it, but in Lyoko's Core Chamber floated a large purple and white energy orb. An orb that Jeremy and his friends have seen a few times before.

Jeremy: I don't believe it! Guys, I found out what was in Sector 5!

Yumi: What is it?

Jeremy: ...FRANZ HOPPER!

All: WHAT?!

The warriors could not believe what they had heard. But they couldn't get a chance to think about it, as all of the sudden, the Mantis' attacked them with their super powerful X-shaped lasers and devirtualized all of them. In the scanner room, William, Odd, and Yumi were the first to step out, followed by Ulrich a few seconds later. They all clambered into the elevator and joined Jeremy in the computer lab, who was frantically waving them over.

Jeremy: Guys, look at this!

The warriors gathered around him and saw that the Mantis's were suddenly getting devirtualized.

William: What just happened Jeremy?

Jeremy: It was Franz Hopper, he destroyed the Mantis's.

Ulrich: Well what's he doing in Sector 5?

Jeremy: Beats me.

Just then, Hopper started to float away from the core and traveled through Sector 5 into the arena.

Jeremy: He's in the arena of Sector 5. But what's he doing there?

Jeremy did a quick scan of the arena and saw something floating next to Hopper. According to the scan, it looked like a large hemispherical bubble of sorts. Just then, realization hit Jeremy's head.

Jeremy: Guys, I think I found something. I ran a scan on the object and believe it or not...IT'S A SIMULATION BUBBLE!

* * *

**Boulogne-Billancourt**

**Hospital-Matthew's Room**

Matthew sat in his bed sad, depressed, and angry.

Matthew: How could she? How could she just leave me here blind as a bat and not care at all. And not just her but all of my friends to. Maybe they were never my real friends.

Matthew felt sadder still. He decided to call his parents and talk to them about his troubles. But he remember, he was now blind and couldn't feel around for his phone.

Matthew: *groan* DOCTOR!

A doctor came in to see him.

Doctor: You have a request young man?

Matthew: My phone is laying here somewhere but I can't see it because I'm now blind. Can you help?

The doctor looked around and a second later, found Matthew's phone on a little table beside him.

Doctor: Here it is Matthew. Do you need to call someone?

Matthew: My parents. The house number should be the first contact.

Doctor: Ah, here it is. I'll leave you to it.

The doctor handed the phone back to Matthew as he waited for an answer. A few seconds later...

_Mr. Stephenson: Hello?_

Matthew: Hi Dad...

_Mr. Stephenson: Matthew my son! It's been a while since you called._

Matthew: Yeah...sorry about that. Where's Mom?

_Mr. Stephenson: She out with her co-workers for lunch and I'm on my lunch break to. What do you sound so down son?_

Matthew: Dad, I've been in an accident at school.

So Matthew told him what had happened. From his collision with the bench, to his blindness, and finally his friend's betrayal.

_Mr. Stephenson: I'm sorry son, but I can't help you much there. The blindness is something you'll have to fight on your own._

Matthew: Not you to! Is everyone giving up on me now?

_Mr. Stephenson: I'm sorry son. Good-bye._

But at that moment, Matthew thought he heard a slightly different tone in his father's voice. It sounded like a sort of mechanical tone. As the call hung up, Matthew couldn't help but think about the way his father's voice sounded. Then, he remembered that Natalie's voice has the same tone in it as well.

Matthew: Excuse me Doctor?

Doctor: Yes?

Matthew: Just out of curiosity, when one of the 5 senses fails, does it enhance the other 4?

Doctor: Good question young Matthew, and yes it does. In your case, your hearing might be the most enhanced for example.

Matthew: Hmm...very interesting.

The Doctor left a second later, leaving Matthew to come to grips with his thoughts.

Matthew: _(to himself) So my hearing must have been increased after my accident. And I guess that explains why Dad's and Natalie's voice sounded like that. But normally, they don't sound like that. And the way Natalie snapped at me, saying that I have more feelings for Stephanie than her, and her leaving me here. That's never like her. And Dad would have never said that I should be on my own. He would have surely helped me in my situation. It sort of like they're just copies of...wait a minute._

Matthew began to remember everything that happened.

Matthew: Those orange spheres that I saw. I remember them chasing us and getting us. Everything went black after that, and I woke up in my room thinking that it was all a dream. Then my accident happened, Natalie stormed away, my friends and my parents abandon me. I know they wouldn't do that in a million years. So what if...that's it. I figured it out!

Matthew quickly jumped out of his bed and felt around for his clothes. He found them scattered on the floor and after changing into them, he ventured out of his room still knowing the fact that he was blind. Then from behind him...

?: Where do you think you're going?

Matthew didn't even have to turn around, knowing that voice belonged to Natalie. And he didn't even have to guess that the rest of the gang were standing around her.

Matthew: Oh just taking a little stroll.

Natalie: You should be in bed resting.

Matthew could again hear the mechanical tone in her voice. It was time to get his own back.

Matthew: I thought you didn't care. You said it yourself, I'm on my own.

Natalie suddenly grew pale.

Natalie: Well...I...uh...

Matthew: And think about this Natalie, and you guys to, after everything we've been through, all the good times we had together, at school and on Lyoko. And you guys just leave me behind like you didn't even care. I know what you guys are. You're not my real friends. None of this is real! You're all just images. THIS IS XANA'S DOING!

Matthew couldn't see it, but the gang's eyes suddenly had XANA's eye in them. Natalie fired a dark energy orb at Matthew, but with Matthew's superior hearing, he jumped out of the way and raced out of the hospital. He didn't care where he was going, just as long as he got away from his fake friends. They kept firing energy orbs at him, but still was able to dodge them all and was able to gain a little ground on them, but kept on running.

Matthew: *panting* I...I got...to find a way out! But how...OOF!

Suddenly, Matthew ran into something hard. He felt around the object. It didn't feel like a brick wall, or a wooden fence, or a concrete foundation. Instead, it felt like a flexible forcefield. Mathew gasped.

Matthew: I'm trapped!

Natalie: And so you are!

Matthew could hear Natalie and the gang behind him and charging up their energy orbs.

Natalie: This is where you will meet your end Stephenson! There's nowhere to run now!

But Matthew had an idea. He turned around and placed his hands on the forcefield. He then channeled his energy within his body and suddenly, everything began to shake. The fake gang couldn't believe what was happening. Matthew was trying to break the shield. Matthew concentrated harder and harder, screaming to the top of his lungs.

Natalie: NOOO! IT CAN'T BE!

* * *

**Lyoko-Sector 5**

The simulation bubble suddenly blew apart and there laid Matthew back in his Lyoko form. Jeremy saw that something was happening to the bubble and couldn't believe what came out.

Jeremy: GUYS, THE BUBBLE JUST BLEW!

All: What?

Yumi: Was it Aelita?

Jeremy: No...it was Matthew.

Odd: I'm sorry...come again?

Jeremy: Look.

The warriors gathered around Jeremy and indeed saw that it was young Matthew laying on the ground where the simulation bubble used to be, with Franz Hopper floating beside him.

Jeremy: Matthew, wake up! MATTHEW!

Matthew: *groan* Oooooh...what...what happened?

Jeremy: Matthew, can you hear me?

Matthew: Mr. Belpois, is that you?

Suddenly, Matthew noticed something. He saw that he was back on Lyoko...wait he SAW?

Matthew: My...my vision...My vision is back. HA! I CAN SEE AGAIN!

Then Matthew noticed something else. He saw Franz Hopper's orb for the first time.

Matthew: WOAH! What the heck is that?

Jeremy: Don't attack it Matthew. That is Franz Hopper!

Matthew: I beg your pardon? This is Franz Hopper? As in Mrs. Belpois' father?!

Jeremy: The very same.

Matthew: But, how come he doesn't have a Lyoko form like us?

Jeremy: I'll explain all that later. But first, what happened to you and where is everyone else?

Matthew: Wait, is today still Saturday?

Jeremy: No...today is Thursday again.

Matthew: How did that happen?

Jeremy: First tell me what happened with you.

So Matthew explained everything that happened when Jeremy was out sick.

Matthew: And then, those orange orbs got us and that's when I woke up in my dorm room. It wasn't until later after my fake blindness accident did I find out it was fake.

Yumi: How did you get out of the bubble? Only Aelita can do that and no one else.

Jeremy: Wait Yumi, look at this.

Jeremy showed Yumi that a message was coming in. And it wasn't encrypted.

Jeremy: _I am the one who gave young Matthew the power to break the bubble. When XANA returned to the past, I snuck in just in time to grant Matthew the ability. And now, I will grant him something else._

Matthew: Grant me something else? Like what?

Just then, Hopper consumed Matthew and began to glow even brighter. After a few more moments, he released Matthew who looked very different. His white suit with gray and black streaks had been changed. Now it was pure black, with white lighting strikes with blue outlines. His ordinary one War Hammer now became 2 slightly smaller hammers and came with holders on both sides of his suit. His Analyzing Goggles on his head remained the same.

Matthew: Woooooah. I am decked out!

Jeremy: There's still more to the message. _Matthew now has the ability to transform his hammers into a large sword. He also has a new ability for that sword called "Electro Slash". It is summoned the same way as his Lightning Ability. He now also has his senses enhanced so now he can find Aelita and his friends. All he has to do is concentrate hard enough and he'll hear the voices. I've also given him the ability to deactivate towers as a bonus._

Matthew: WHAT? So I can deactivate towers now to?

Jeremy: It would appear so. But enough of that. Time to find the others. Now concentrate...

So Matthew sat down on the ground with his legs crossed and focused. He took his time to get used to his new found ability, but after a moment, he could hear the sounds of crying. He focused harder and figured out that it was Natalie crying on the nurse's office bed. He came back to reality.

Matthew: I found Natalie crying on one of the nurse's beds. But what is she doing there?

Jeremy: Probably the same reason as you were. She's in her own simulation bubble and you have to get her out of there. Where did the sound come from?

Matthew: Sounded like the Forest Sector. I'm off.

Jeremy: I'll guide you to the Celestial Dome where your OverRacer will be waiting.

Matthew: Thanks. Let's roll!

And Matthew raced away to the Edge of Sector 5 while Franz Hopper floated away from the arena. A few minutes later, Matthew arrived at the Celestial Dome and hopped into his racer and hurried off through the tunnel and into the Forest Sector. He suddenly had a thought.

Matthew: _(to himself) So if everything I went through was just a simulation, then that means that Natalie must still care about me. I have to save her now that I know the truth._

He focused again to find out where Natalie's bubble would be. He could hear the noises coming from the right of him. Turning off, he flew a little more and then saw it. Standing in a large intersection of paths was Natalie's simulation bubble. He landed his racer and approached it.

Matthew: Well here goes.

* * *

**Kadic Academy**

**Nurse's Office**

Natalie was still crying her eyes out. She wasn't upset that her voice was gone, nor was she upset that she wouldn't be able to take part in the talent show. She was upset that Matthew, her own boyfriend, would leave her and not care about her problem.

Natalie: _(to herself) I don't understand. Why would he leave me here to suffer?_

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted when the whole room began to shake violently. Natalie was frightened.

Natalie: _(to herself) What's going on?! Is there an earthquake?_

Outside on Lyoko, Matthew focused as hard as he could on destroying the bubble, and after a few more moments, it blew apart and there on the ground was Natalie back in her Lyoko form.

Matthew: Natalie! Are you alright?

Natalie: Ooooooh...what's going on? Wait...did I just speak? I did didn't I. My voice is back!

She then noticed Matthew.

Natalie: Matthew? What's going on?

Matthew: You were in a simulation bubble. An image created by XANA. Everything that happened to you was all fake. The same thing happened to me. I had gone blind and you guys just left me. But after I figured everything out, I broke free.

Natalie: So...me losing my voice...and you guys not caring...that was just an image?

Matthew: Yes it was.

Natalie gave Matthew the tightest hug ever.

Natalie: Thank you so much for getting me out. I like the new look you got. Where did you get it?

Matthew: I was given this new new by Franz Hopper, as well as these 2 new hammers, and the ability to turn them into one sword. I also have my senses enhanced, which is how I found you, and as a bonus, I can deactivate towers to.

Natalie: REALLY? You got all that from Franz Hopper? When did he show up?

Matthew: I'll explain all that later after we find Mrs. Belpois and the others.

Natalie: That brings up a question? Where are the others?

Matthew: The others are most likely in their own simulation bubbles as well. Don't worry, I can find them.

So Matthew focused again and listened hard. He then heard the sound of Gary screaming. It sounded like it was coming from the Desert Sector. He focused harder and eventually saw another simulation bubble on a distant plateau. He focused inside the bubble and could see Gary being attacked by angry wasps. He came back to reality moments later.

Matthew: We gotta get to the Desert Sector. That's where Gary's bubble is.

Natalie: But...how are we going to get there if we're in the Forest Sector?

Jeremy: I guess you guys haven't learned about Way Towers have you?

Matthew: Way Towers?

Jeremy: They're towers that give off a light blue aura and can allow a person to teleport from one sector to another. All they have to do is enter the tower and fall off the platform they're standing on, and just like that, they'll float back up now inside a tower in a different sector. And just to let you know, you can go down the tower in your vehicles as well.

Natalie: Impressive. So is there on near by that'll take us to the Desert?

Jeremy: There's one not too far away. It's just West from where you're standing.

Matthew: Well let's go.

So Matthew and Natalie hopped in the OverRacer. Matthew activated flight mode and flew off towards the Way Tower. It didn't take them long to find it. Gathering up enough courage, the flew inside the tower and dropped down below the platform. Moments later, they flew back up and out of another tower, now inside the Desert Sector.

Natalie: Now that was weird...but efficient. Now let's find Gary.

After focusing again on the sounds of Gary's yelling, they found the simulation bubble and Matthew blew it apart with ease. After Gary came to, Matthew and Natalie explained everything that happened to him. It took a while for him to register what happened, but after being told about it, he understood.

Gary: So who's next?

Matthew: I'm looking into it now.

Up next was Jonah, to which Matthew found his bubble in a lonely part of the Ice Sector. He could see that Jonah was in the Garden Shed at Kadic hiding for a large tornado. After telling his friends where he was, Matthew and Natalie got into the OverRacer and Gary got in his OverBuggy, which Jeremy programmed moments earlier, and raced away to another Way Tower to the Ice Sector. This went on for a little while longer, with Matthew looking for his trapped friends in the simulation bubbles that were scattered all over Lyoko. Mariah's Bubble was also in the Ice Sector, but it was on the other side of it compared to where Jonah's was located. Alexis' bubble was found in a large cave of the Mountain Sector. After a while, they were all rescued and told about what happened.

Mariah: So now all we need to do is find Mrs. Belpois.

Matthew: That's right. Now let's see where she is?

Matthew concentrated one last time. He could hear Aelita screaming for mercy moments later, but also heard a demonic laugh. Focusing harder, he located the bubble. It was in the Celestial Dome at the North Pole of Sector 5. He looked inside the bubble and saw Aelita getting attacked by what Matthew would describe as a scary looking monster with a smoky head.

Matthew: Mr. Belpois, I found her! But, she's in Sector 5, and we can't get there.

Jeremy: Yes you can, there is a way. First, you all have to go to the edge of the sector and fast.

So the young warriors got into their vehicles. Matthew and Natalie in the OverRacer, Gary and Mariah in the OverBuggy, and Alexis and Jonah in the OverCopter. They raced away to the edge of the Mountain Sector, and with the guiding from Jeremy, they arrived a few minutes later.

Jeremy: Now hang on tight, I'm going to enter a code. Code: Scipio.

Jeremy entered the code and the warriors waited for something to happen. A second later, a large while ball with a blue Eye of XANA on it appeared out of nowhere. The warriors were scared a bit, but couldn't think much about it as the ball scooped them up and zoomed through the rest of the sector and eventually, into the spinning dome of Sector 5.

Jonah: Woooah...what was that?

Jeremy: That was the transporter. The old way of getting to Sector 5, before I figured out how to send someone there directly.

Alexis: Well I hope that's the last time, we have to use that. I don't feel so good.

Jeremy: The sickness will where off eventually. Get ready, the wall is about to open. I'll guide you all to the Celestial Dome. Consider this your Sector 5 training.

Soon, the wall opened up and the gang raced away to find Aelita. They arrived at the arena a second later and saw that it was completely empty.

Matthew: Look, there's the exit tunnel!

Matthew pointed to the tunnel, which was on the other side of the room.

Gary: Well, what are we standing here for? Let's go!

Matthew: Wait Gary!

But it too late. Suddenly, there was a loud creaking sound. Gary looked up and saw a part of the ceiling was falling towards him.

Gary: Uh oh...SUPER SPRINT!

He sprinted away as fast as he could with the gang running and dodging behind him. He made to the other side without any problems, but the gang wasn't so lucky. They were jumping and dodging the collapsing ceiling left, right, and center. But after nearly getting squashed like a pancake, they made it to the other side safely.

Jeremy: Nice job everyone. Now head through the tunnel and wait for the elevator.

And they did. They went in and out of the tunnel and could hear the elevator below them. They looked down and saw it speeding towards them.

Matthew: Jump now!

At the last possible second, the 6 friends jumped onto the elevator safely.

Jeremy: Once it stops, a door will open. Go through that and you'll be at the Celestial Dome.

After another minute, the elevator came to a stop and a door opened in front of the gang. Wasting no time, the ran through the door and had arrived at the Celestial Dome. They saw the OverRacer was floating beside them.

Jeremy: Matthew, you know what to do. Everyone else, wait there.

Natalie: Be careful please.

Matthew: I will.

Matthew hopped in his OverRacer and flew up to the top of Sector 5. Once he was there, he saw it. The last simulation bubble was floating above the dome. Matthew pulled up beside it and prepared himself to free Aelita.

* * *

**Abandoned Factory-Top Floor**

Aelita: *panting* I..if only...I had my...my Energy Fields...I would...at least stand a chance.

Aelita was bruised and battered but still alive. She had been hit by 2 of XANA's dark energy orbs, but still had the strength and willpower in her to continue to fight.

XANA: I must say, I am impressed. I honestly did not expect you to still be standing here right now. You have courage Aelita, but courage won't be enough to save you now.

Aelita: Oh yes it will XANA. I may not have my powers here, but I'm not going to let that stop me!

XANA suddenly grabbed Aelita's neck and lifted her up off the ground. He chuckled at the sight of Aelita struggling to break free.

XANA: Heh heh heh, too bad I don't feel the same way.

He then threw her across the room and into a pile of crates.

Maya: MOM NOOOO!

Aelita was hurt badly. She tried to stand up, but the pain in her body was immense. XANA walked up to her with one last dark orb in his hand.

XANA: Good-bye Aelita.

Then suddenly, everything began to shake. Aelita was confused, Maya was scared, XANA gasped.

XANA: What? What's happening?

He activate a small interface on his left gauntlet that showed Lyoko. He scanned over Sector 5 and saw in horror that Matthew was trying the break the bubble.

XANA: NO! IMPOSSIBLE!

XANA dropped the orb and disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Aelita looked all around and saw the whole factory shaking out of control. Then suddenly, a bright white light appeared out of nowhere and blinded her.

* * *

**Lyoko-Sector 5**

The bubble finally broke apart and Matthew could see Aelita falling towards the dome. With quick thinking, Matthew fired up his OverRacer and flew down to catch Aelita. Just as she was about to hit Sector 5's dome, Matthew swooped in grabbed a hold of Aelita's hand and hauled her into the passenger seat of his Racer. Aelita was out cold, but alive. Matthew flew back down to his friends at the edge of Sector 5 and pulled to a stop beside them. The gang saw that he had Aelita. They carefully pulled her out and laid her on the ground. A few minutes later, Aelita started to wake up.

Matthew: Mr. Belpois, she's waking up!

Aelita: *groan* What on Earth happened?

She then noticed the young warriors standing around her.

Aelita: You're...you're all ok...but how? What happened?

Matthew: We'll explain everything once we get back to the factory. Bring us in sir!

Jeremy: Consider it done.

Aelita: _(to herself) Jeremy? Is that you?_

* * *

**Abandoned Factory-Scanner Room**

First to step out of the scanners was Jonah, Mariah, and Matthew. Then came Natalie, Alexis, and Gary. And finally, Aelita stumbled out of the scanner and fell into the arms of Jeremy, who had arrived with the rest of the warriors moments earlier.

Jeremy:Aelita, are you alright?

Aelita: I feel much better knowing that you're all safe. But what did happen? I remember getting caught by the Guardian, then all of the sudden, I woke up back in our home.

Jeremy: The youngster also got caught by the Guardians by the looks of it and also woke up back at Kadic. The Guardians must have placed you all in Simulation Bubbles that XANA created and scattered you all across Lyoko. We all were trying to find you, but XANA stopped us with his new Mantis. Then, all of the sudden Matthew broke his simulation bubble all on his own.

Aelita: What? How did that happen?

Jeremy: You're father helped us.

Aelita: My father?!

Jeremy: After you all were captured, XANA launched a return to the past, which explains why it's Friday again. But at the last second, Franz Hopper granted Matthew the power to break through.

Matthew: In my bubble, I suffered an accident and ended up going blind. I was hoping that my friends would help me in my situation, but they just turned away. However, with my sight gone, my other senses were increased, because when I was speaking to my fake friends, I could hear a mechanical sorta tone in their voice. I then figured out that they were fakes, because one: they wouldn't leave me behind, and two: their voices weren't the same. Although I couldn't see, I could hear them attacking me. I just ran for it and used my enhanced hearing to run through the city. I then hit the bubble's wall and I focused hard on breaking it. And I did. When I woke up, I saw Franz Hopper there, but he wasn't in a Lyoko Form like we were, he was just a floating purple and white energy orb. Anyway, he upgraded my suit and my weapons, and gave me the ability to change my 2 hammers into one large sword, gave me a new ability for the sword, the power to break the bubbles, enhanced senses, and as a bonus, I can deactivate towers to.

Aelita: He did all that?!

Matthew: He did. That's how I was able to find you all and free you.

Aelita: So everything that I saw was just an image?

Jeremy: That's right. And now you're all home safe and sound. Now let's end this horrible nightmare and return to the past once more.

So the warriors followed Jeremy back up to the lab and waited for him to start the process. A moment later...

Jeremy: Return to the past now!

* * *

**Belpois Residence**

**Thursday-6:30 AM**

*BEEP BEEP BEEP*

Jeremy slapped his alarm clock off and rose up out of bed. He got out of bed and began to put on his work clothes again, when he heard Aelita's voice behind him.

Aelita: Jeremy, why don't you stay here and let me take care of your class today.

Jeremy: Why may I ask?

Aelita: Because it's still raining outside and the last time you were in the rain, you got a cold, and then everything with Lyoko happened. But now that all that mess is done and out of the way, why don't you let me teach your class today.

Jeremy smiled at his wife as he reached for his phone to dial Kadic's number.

_Mr. Hamilton: Kadic Academy, Principle Hamilton speaking._

Jeremy did the best sickness impression he could muster.

Jeremy: Mr. Hamilton, it's Jeremy.

_Mr. Hamilton: Good morning Jeremy. You don't sound too good._

Jeremy: I don't feel so good either sir. I've come down with a cold last night after being in the rain. So, I'm at home recovering. But I do have a person who is willing to substitute my class.

_Mr. Hamilton: And who might that be?_

Jeremy: It's my wife Aelita. She's majored in Computer Science like me and knows just as much about computers and programming as I do...maybe even more. She's said that she's willing to teach my class while I rest up here.

_Mr. Hamilton: That sounds splendid. Thank you for letting me know. Tell her to meet me in my office when she arrives._

Jeremy: Will do sir. Thank you.

Jeremy hung up the call and turned back to Aelita and smiled.

Jeremy: You better get to Kadic. Mr. Hamilton will be waiting for you.

Aelita beamed. She gave Jeremy a big hug and kiss as thanks.

Aelita: Thank you Jeremy. I won't let you down.

Jeremy: I know you won't. Have fun!

After getting dressed and making her lunch, Aelita walked outside in the rain out towards her car, since Jeremy's car was still broken. She drove away down the street and towards Kadic, while Jeremy gave William a call.

_William: Hey Jeremy, feeling better after the whole simulation bubble thing?_

Jeremy: Yes I am. Anyway, are you good at fixing cars?

_William: Yeah I am. Why?_

Jeremy: My car's broken down and I don't know what's wrong with it. Think you can help?

_William: Sure, I'd be glad to help...once this rain stops of course._

Jeremy chuckled.

Jeremy: That's sounds great. See ya later.

* * *

**Lyoko-Unknown Location**

In the tower, XANA was now seething.

XANA: How did that pathetic young warrior Matthew break through all of my bubbles?! And how was he granted that power in the first place?

He seemed unaware that Franz Hopper was involved in this to. XANA calmed down after a while.

XANA: Hmmm...now that I think about it...yes...that could work very well. I may have to accelerate my plans a bit. But not yet.

XANA laughed loudly as he faded away in a cloud of smoke.

* * *

**Holy cow. If you guys haven't already figured it out, this is BY FAR the LONGEST chapter of New Youth EVER! 17,294 words this chapter is. I've have been working on this one chapter alone since last Thursday. I told you guys last chapter, I was planning on making this chapter the last part of the "Fears Unleashed" series, but I also had another motive for this one. I was looking back at all of the previous chapters and noticed that there wasn't one really long chapter. And since you guys, my loyal readers and followers, have stuck with me for so long, I decided to treat you guys a special long chapter. I know that this has taken me a while to write, but you know what, it was darn well worth it. If this chapter doesn't go down as you guys' favorite, I don't know what will. **

**I really hoped that you guys enjoyed this chapter. Before I sign out today, I want to give a huge thank you to my man pokemonking0924 for giving me the idea to make the "Fears Unleashed" series. I also want to give out a huge thanks to ALL of you guys. The readers, my followers, my reviewers, EVERYONE! Without you all, this story probably wouldn't have continued. So thank you guys so much for your support. If you enjoyed this chapter or the story as a whole, be sure to leave a review telling me what you think. If you REALLY enjoyed this story, why not favorite it and follow it. That would make me a very happy author.**

**There will be more to come soon. But until then, thank you guys for ready and enjoying. See you all soon! And as always, FakeACU83 OUT!**


	41. Valentines Day Gone Wrong

_**Chapter 41: Valentines Day Gone Wrong**_

**February**

**A Few Weeks Later**

A few weeks had past since the warrior's "Simulation Mayhem" on Lyoko and soon, it was now February. Winter was coming to a close in a few more weeks, but the French weather was still slightly breezy and chilly, but warming up a little nevertheless. It was also good times for the students over at Kadic Academy. With it being February, Valentines Day was coming and coming quick, a matter of 2 days as a matter of fact. Some students were trying to make last minute purchases from local jewelry stores and to high and fancy florists, while others were making special plans for their valentines. And it wasn't just the students who were making plans and gifts. Some of the teachers and staff had already bought gifts for their special ones on Valentines Day, although there was one person who had her mind on something else other than the day of love. One cool evening, Jeremy was helping Aelita make their family some dinner while Maya was up in her room playing. Jeremy didn't know much about cooking, but Aelita was there to help him out when needed. However, Jeremy noticed that she wasn't acting like herself. Ever since she came back from her simulation bubble prison, she seemed moody, frightened, disturbed, and distant to say the least. Jeremy tried to talk to her about it, but when he did, she turned him down and walked outside for some fresh air to help clear her head. Now, he saw his chance to talk. He wanted to help her get over...whatever it was that was plaguing her. He took a deep breath then spoke.

Jeremy: ...Aelita, can we talk?

Aelita: Hmm? About what Jeremy?

Jeremy: Well...ever since we brought you back from that simulation bubble, you seemed...well...not yourself. Like you've been acting stressed and sometimes you would look so pale, you look like you've seen a ghost. What's wrong Aelita?

Aelita didn't answer. Instead, the frightening memories of XANA in person flashed back through her brain. She shivered at the slightest thought of him. The way he looked with his smoking skull for his head, the evil demonic voice that could send chills right through you, and the Eye of XANA planted smack in the center of his forehead.

Jeremy: Aelita...are you okay?

Aelita snapped back into reality and found her voice.

Aelita: Uh..ye...yes. I'm fine.

But Jeremy knew better.

Jeremy: Aelita listen, I don't know what's been plaguing you these past few weeks, but it doesn't help you much if you keep yourself locked away from the world and not talk to someone about it. That's what I'm trying to do with you right now. I love you Aelita, and I want to help you in any way possible. But I can't if you keep turning me down.

Aelita hung her head down. Jeremy was right. She decided to finally open up to him about her problems.

Aelita: When I was in that simulation bubble, I saw something very disturbing and scary. Something that I never in my life would have thought I would see in person.

Jeremy: What was it?

Aelita: ...It was XANA himself.

Jeremy dropped the wooden spoon that he was holding when he heard what his wife had just said.

Jeremy: You saw XANA?

Aelita nodded, still trembling a bit. Jeremy brought her into a loving hug to ease her nerves.

Jeremy: What did he look like?

Aelita: He had red and black armor all over his body and his heading was a smoking skull and his logo was on his forehead.

Jeremy tried to imagine XANA himself, and shivered.

Jeremy: It's alright Aelita. It was just an image remember?

Aelita pulled her head up and looked into Jeremy's eyes.

Aelita: How do you know? It could have actually been him.

Jeremy: I don't exactly know to be honest, but what I do know from personal experience, not everything you see in that bubble is real. XANA could have created that image of himself to scare you. He could still be the specter that we all know and nothing else.

Aelita was silent for a moment. She hadn't thought of it that way. She gave a small smile for the first time in a few weeks.

Aelita: Maybe you're right Jeremy. Maybe XANA is still just that ghost that tries to get us.

Jeremy: That's exactly my point. Now do you feel better that you've talked to someone about it?

Aelita: Uh-huh. Thank you Jeremy.

She gave him a thank you kiss and went back to cooking dinner with the help from Jeremy. A few minutes later, Maya came down stairs into the kitchen after her stomach was begging her for food. She walked into the kitchen and found both of her parents hard at work preparing the meal.

Maya: Is dinner almost ready? My stomach won't stop complaining.

Jeremy chuckled to himself.

Jeremy: _(to himself) It's like she has the stomach of Odd. _Almost ready Maya. About another 10 minutes.

Maya: Okay Dad.

Aelita: So Maya, Valentines Day is in 2 days. Is there a boy that you have your eye on?

She gave her daughter a cheeky smile.

Maya: Eww no! Boys are dirty and gross!

And with that, Maya rushed away to the living room. Aelita and Jeremy couldn't help but laugh.

Jeremy: Just watch, with the beauty she'll have when she's 15, all of the boys will be all over her.

Aelita: I just hope she isn't going to be like Sissi.

Jeremy: I doubt that. Who knows, she might someone that has brains like you and me.

Aelita: *giggling* Maybe.

10 minutes later, dinner was served. As they ate, Aelita felt better now that she told Jeremy what was wrong, but deep down, she still felt a little worried. What if the "image" of XANA she saw wasn't an image at all? What if it was real?

* * *

**Kadic Academy**

**7:00 AM**

**The Next Day**

The next day was Thursday for the students of Kadic Academy, much to the delight of the young men and women knowing that the weekend was coming.. But they weren't just excited about the weekend, they were excited about Valentines Day being tomorrow...or should I say, almost everyone.

Stephanie: *sigh* Man...how I am going to make Matthew mine? He deserves someone better than that Natalie, and that someone should obviously be me.

Yep...if it wasn't obvious before, Stephanie takes right after her Aunt Sissi, as she was trying to think of ways to become Matthew's girlfriend. But unfortunately for her, she couldn't think of a single one. She looked at her clock on her side table and noticed that it was nearly 8:00 AM. She missed out on breakfast entirely and it was almost time for class to begin. Her stomach began to growl wanting food.

Stephanie: Well...I think I can hold up until lunch time. After all, it's only 4 hours and lunch time will give me a chance to think more.

So after gathering her supplies, she hurried off to her 1st class of the day. A few hours later, it was lunchtime. The gang sat at their normal table while Stephanie was sitting by herself at another table further away. Over at the gang's table...

Mariah: So Matt, what are you getting Natalie for Valentines Day?

Natalie: I would like to know to.

She gave Matthew a cheeky smile.

Matthew: As much as I would like to tell you, I'm not gonna. But don't worry, you'll find out tomorrow. Just meet me at my room before we go to breakfast.

Natalie: Aww man, you're no fun but ok.

She playfully shoved Matthew to the side before speaking again.

Natalie: What about you Mariah and Alexis? You girls got yourselves a Valentine?

The girls suddenly frowned and looked downwards.

Mariah: Sadly no. I don't have one.

Alexis: Neither do I.

Natalie felt bad for her friends.

Natalie: Oh...well I'm sure that you'll find someone. Just give it some time.

But the girls weren't so sure.

Matthew: Gary and Jonah, what about you two?

Gary: Nah mate, I ain't got one.

Jonah: Or me.

Matthew: Oh...well dang.

Although he didn't know it, Gary and Jonah weren't really telling the truth.

* * *

**Earlier That Morning**

Jonah: So Gary, you got yourself a Valentine?

Gary suddenly began to look flushed. Jonah was confused.

Jonah: Dude you okay? Was it something I said?

Gary: No mate it wasn't. Actually...I do have one, but she doesn't know about it.

Jonah: Really? So do I. I have one to, but she doesn't know about it and I don't know how I'm going to go about telling her.

Gary: Who is it?

Jonah: You might find this funny...but it's Mariah.

Gary: Dude no way!

Jonah: Yep. When Brandon threatened her back when XANA possessed the zoo animals, I felt so angry that I wanted to protect her with my life. Pretty much since then, I feel that I've grown more attached to her.

Gary: Wow man...that's deep.

Jonah: what about you?

Gary: ...It's Alexis.

Jonah: Seriously? Man now everyone in our group has fallen in love.

Gary: Heh yeah. Pretty much when she first came here and became friends with us, I've felt a feeling in me that wanted me to ask her out, but I just haven't had the guts to do it.

Jonah: Well...maybe tomorrow will be our chance.

Gary: I hope so.

* * *

**Present Time**

As the gang continued to eat and talk to each other, Stephanie sat by herself at another table. She began thinking again.

Stephanie: There has to be a way to get him to like me...the question is what and how.

?: I think I might have the answer you need.

Stephanie jumped at the sound of another voice behind her. She turned around and saw Brandon standing behind her with a sly grin on his face.

Stephanie: Who the heck are you?

Brandon: My name's Brandon. And you're Stephanie I'm assuming.

Stephanie: ...Yes...I am. What do you mean you the answer I need.

Brandon: What I mean is, I can help you win that Yankee Matthew over there.

Stephanie perked up and a grin came across her face.

Stephanie: And how do you plan on helping me?

Brandon: Meet me at my dorm room after class at around 9, just before curfew starts. Make sure you don't get caught by Coach Ulrich and I'll tell you my plan then. It's room number 206.

With that, he walked away to another table leaving Stephanie feeling sly but confident.

* * *

**9:00 PM**

When the day was over and curfew was about to start, Stephanie made her way through the hallways over towards Brandon's dorm room. She looked at the numbers that were on the doors and after a minute of searching, she came across room 206.

Stephanie: This is the one, so here we go.

She knocked on the door a few times and seconds later, it opened revealing Brandon.

Brandon: Glad to see that you made it.

Stephanie: You told me to meet you here so I did. So what's your plan on making Matthew mine?

As Brandon began to explain his plan, they were completely unaware that they were being watched. About a minute earlier, Gary and Jonah were on their way back to their room after getting showered and doing their nightly routine. Their room was 2 doors down from where Brandon's room was near the end of the hallway. As they approached the corner, they heard the sound of a conversation going on between Brandon and Stephanie.

Brandon: _First off, do you know when Matthew is going to give Natalie her gift?_

Stephanie: _From what I heard this morning, he said that he'll give it to her at his room tomorrow before breakfast._

Brandon: _Perfect! That makes it even better._

Jonah: *whispering* You hearing what I'm hearing?

Gary: *whispering* Yeah I do. It sounds like Brandon talking to Stephanie.

Jonah: *whispering* But what could they be talking about?

Gary: *whispering* I'm not sure, but it can't be good. Especially with it being our two main rivals. Let's have a listen, but stay quiet. We don't them to know we're here.

Jonah: *whispering* Got it.

Slowly and quietly, the two roommates approached the corner, being careful not to give themselves away, and listened hard on the conversation.

Brandon: Ok, here's what I have in mind. You want Matthew to be yours and I want Natalie to be mine, and in order to do that, we have to get them to break up to the point where they would never talk to each other again. And I have just the plan for it to work. Now Natalie's going to come over to Matt's room before breakfast to get her gift. What you have to do is get here before her. I'll keep my door open a bit to look out for her. When you here me shut my door, that's when you make your move and kiss him right then and there. At that point, Natalie will turn the corner and will see you two together. She'll be crushed and she'll have to break up with him. And then he'll be all yours and I'll claim Natalie as mine.

A sly grin appeared on Stephanie's face.

Stephanie: I like it. I'm in.

Brandon grinned back.

Brandon: Good luck.

And Brandon shut his door and Stephanie went down the opposite end of the hallway back to her room. While over on the other end of the hall behind the corner, Gary and Jonah could not believe what they heard.

Gary: Dude, they're gonna try and end Matt and Natalie's relationship. We gotta do something!

Jonah: We can't do anything right now though. He's probably fast asleep. We have to tell him before Stephanie starts her plan tomorrow.

Gary: I agree. Let's get to bed, we'll discuss it tomorrow.

So Gary and Jonah, worriedly, walked back to their room and went to sleep.

* * *

**Valentines Day**

The next day was Valentines Day and over in the girl's dorm, Natalie was just beginning to get out of bed and get dressed to go see Matthew.

Natalie: I can't wait to see what he's got for me.

She happily hummed to herself unaware that the Valentines Day she was hoping for was about to go terribly wrong. A few doors down from Natalie's room, Stephanie was already up and dressed and was ready to claim her prize. She opened the door and looked out in the halls. Natalie wasn't there. She chuckled to himself before scurrying away to Matthew's room. A few minutes later, Natalie came out of her room and made her way to her boyfriend's room, again unaware of what was about to happen.

Meanwhile, Gary and Jonah were still sleeping. They had a very busy day yesterday, and they were exhausted beyond words. They told themselves that they had to tell Matthew about what they heard last night, but now they were still fast asleep. In Matthew's room, the young warrior was getting himself ready for the day. After he got himself dressed and gathered his supplies, he reached over to his desk and grabbed a small purple bag. He looked inside and pulled out a shiny diamond necklace and smiled to himself as he looked on the back of it. It had some initials carved in it. "N.V", Natalie Voclain's initials.

Matthew: Boy, she's gonna love this. I'm still amazed I was able to buy this, but that's beside the point. Time to wait outside for her.

So Matthew walked out of his room and waited in the hallway for Natalie. About a minute later, he heard footsteps and got excited. He looked over to where they were coming from expecting to see Natalie. But to his surprise, he saw Stephanie coming towards him instead and his excited smile quickly disappeared. He didn't noticed that as soon as she passed Brandon's room, Brandon opened his door and peaked his head out just enough for him to see the action. He also looked around the corner to see if Natalie was there. She wasn't...yet. Stephanie cast a quick glance behind her to see Brandon looking out of his room. He gave her a wink and Stephanie winked back before approaching Matthew.

Stephanie: Hey Matt! What's up?

Matthew: Oh...hey Stephanie. Just waiting for Natalie.

Stephanie: Oh I see.

She noticed the bag in his hands.

Stephanie: I'm guessing that her Valentines Day gift.

Matthew: Heh, good guess.

Stephanie: Can I see it?

Matthew raised an eyebrow at her.

Stephanie: Come on please?

Matthew: *sigh* Fine. If you must.

He opened the bag and pulled out the necklace. Stephanie was amazed.

Stephanie: Woooow, it's so pretty.

Suddenly, Brandon saw Natalie coming down the hallway and towards the corner. He shut his door just loud enough for Stephanie to hear. And Stephanie did hear it.

Stephanie: _(to herself) Time to make my move. _You are so thoughtful Matthew. Thank you so much. I love it!

From around the corner, Natalie thought she heard Stephanie's voice. She went to investigate. While in Gary and Jonah's room, Jonah was just starting to wake up. He turned his head for look at his clock and his eyes popped wide open when he saw the time. It was 10 minutes past 6. Matthew was already up. Jonah quickly ran to Gary's bed and shook him violently.

Gary: Woah woah woah, what are you doing Jonah?!

Jonah: GARY WAKE UP! WE OVER SLEPT!

Gary's eyes shot open as he looked at Jonah's clock. He and Jonah then heard Matthew's voice outside their room.

Matthew: Huh? What are you talking abo...

They quickly got out of their beds and opened their door to see Stephanie putting a finger to Matthew's lips. They could also hear the faint sound of footsteps coming from around the corner. They knew it was Natalie. Then it happened...

Stephanie: Thank you so much Matthew. I love you.

Stephanie then began to lean it and get closer to his lips, just as Natalie turned the corner.

Gary &amp; Jonah: STEPHANIE! NOOOO!

But it was too late. Stephanie pressed her lips against Matthew's as Natalie stopped where she was. Out of the corner of his eye, Matthew saw Natalie at the end of the hallway. He quickly pushed Stephanie away and stared at Natalie. He saw the absolute hurt in her eyes. Tears started to stream down her face. She felt her heart ripping into pieces. Matthew tried to approach her, but then Natalie turned around and sprinted away down the hall.

Matthew: NATALIE! NO WAIT PLEASE!

But it was no use, she was gone. Matthew felts tears coming down his face. He felt so awful, so violated by what Stephanie just did. Just then, he felt a hand touch his shoulder. He turned around and saw Stephanie with a small grin.

Stephanie: Well now that she's gone, why don't we get back kissing.

She was about to kiss him again, when he suddenly shoved her and pinned her against the wall making her shriek slightly. All the pain he felt of losing his girlfriend was now replaced by pure anger.

Matthew: Are you happy now?! Huh, are you satisfied?! Because of YOU, I just lost my best friend AND my girlfriend, the first and best one I've ever had! I didn't get to have that chance when I was back in New York, because I was always made fun of over my freakin' Southern Accent, and when I came here, I expected the same thing. But Natalie and my friends were different! They accepted me for who I was! And now, because of you and your desperation to get a boyfriend, she is gone and will probably never speak to me or ever want to see me again! IS THAT WHAT YOU WANTED ALL BECAUSE YOU COULDN'T GET A BOYFRIEND OF YOUR OWN?! HUH?! IS THAT IT?!

?: WHAT ON EARTH IS GOING ON HERE?!

Matthew, Stephanie, Gary, Jonah, and the rest of the students, who had heard the commotion outside, looked behind them and saw Ulrich marching towards them, not looking happy at all. He saw Stephanie being pinned against the wall, to his surprise, by Matthew. He gave a very displeasing look at the young warrior.

Ulrich: Assaulting a young girl Matthew? I thought you were better than that. You're coming with me to the principle's office.

He pulled Matthew away from Stephanie and led him towards Mr. Hamilton. Matthew turned his head and gave Stephanie a stern death glare before turning the corner. As the other students went about their business, Gary and Jonah slipped back into their room leaving Stephanie shaken and very frightened. Suddenly, all the jealousy of Natalie and the feeling for Matthew disappeared and was replaced by pure fear. She didn't expect something like Matthew blowing up in her face. She gathered herself up and walked away to her room trying to push the feelings out of her mind.

Meanwhile, over at the principle's office...

Mr. Hamilton: I am extremely disappointed in you Matthew. I never thought that a model student like you would be assaulting Stephanie. Do you have anything to say for yourself?

Matthew said nothing. He held his head down and looked at the ground.

Mr. Hamilton: Very well, I'm giving you after school detention all week next week. I certainly hope that it will help you learn your lesson. Do I make myself clear?

Matthew: Crystal clear sir.

Mr. Hamilton: Good. Ulrich, you're in charge of looking over him making sure that he does his work and behaves himself.

Ulrich: Understood sir.

Mr. Hamilton: Dismissed.

So Matthew and Ulrich left the office and Matthew went back to his room. He didn't want any breakfast anymore.

* * *

**Cafeteria**

Meanwhile, over in the cafeteria, Mariah and Alexis were trying to comfort Natalie, who was now crying her eyes out. Alexis gave her a loving hug, but it didn't help much as she kept on crying.

Mariah: Natalie, we need you to calm down and tell us what happened.

Natalie: Ok...*sniff* I was on my way to Matthew's room to see what he got me for Valentines Day and when I got there, I saw him kissing...Stephanie.

Alexis: Wait, what?

Mariah: Kissing Stephanie?

Natalie: Yes...I don't know why he would do that! I thought he loved me.

Just then, Gary and Jonah arrived. They saw Alexis comforting Natalie and immediately felt awful at their failure to tell Matthew what they heard. Natalie then stood up from her seat.

Natalie: I gotta go get my stuff from my room. I'll see you guys later.

She sadly left the cafeteria.

Mariah: Poor Natalie.

Alexis: I can't believe Matthew would do that.

Jonah: Actually girls, Matthew isn't responsible.

The girls were confused.

Alexis: What are you talking about?

Gary: We heard a conversation between Stephanie and Brandon last night.

Mariah: What was said?

Jonah: You might not like this, but they planned their break up.

The girls gasped.

Mariah &amp; Alexis: WHAT?! HOW?!

Gary: Last night, we heard Brandon tell Stephanie to kiss Matthew when Natalie got there. Supposedly, it would help Stephanie win over Matthew. But after what we saw Matthew do to Stephanie after it happened, I don't think she won him over.

Alexis: What did Matthew do?

Jonah: ...He pinned her against the wall and just straight blew up right in her face. And now, he's probably getting detention.

The girls now felt really bad for accusing Matthew. Suddenly, Mariah had an idea.

Mariah: Guys, I think we can fix this.

All: How?

Mariah: Simple. All we have to do is get Matthew and Natalie together, without them killing each other, and you guys tell them what you heard.

Gary, Jonah, and Alexis thought about it for a second then nodded in agreement.

Mariah: Ok, we'll do it after class. We'll bring Natalie with us to the library where Matthew is having his detention, we'll sit them down together, and then we'll explain what happened.

Gary: Right, let's do it!

* * *

**Girls Dorm**

**4:00 PM**

Natalie laid on her bed with her face in her pillow just crying her eyes out. She had a very tough day. She couldn't focus on her assignments and when she was in a class with Matthew, she sat at the back of the class and didn't say a word to him at all. Meanwhile outside her room, the gang were ready to put their plan into action. Mariah knocked on her door.

Natalie: Who is it?

Suddenly the door burst open and in came the gang, startling Natalie quite a bit.

Natalie: What are you guys doing here?

But before she could get an answer, Gary and Jonah grabbed both of her arms and dragged her out of her room and down the hallways. Natalie struggled to break free but to no avail.

Natalie: What are you doing? Where are you taking me?

Alexis: To the Library.

Natalie: Why? What's in there? Other than books?

Alexis: You'll soon see.

And they hauled her all the way to the Library. In the Library, Matthew was busy doing his homework under the supervision of Ulrich. Ulrich was still not pleased with Matthew's behavior today.

Ulrich: I still can't believe that you would do something like that. You're lucky that XANA is quiet right now, cause even if he was attacking, I wouldn't let you go to Lyoko after what happened.

Matthew however wasn't listening. He just continued doing his work. Ulrich decided not to push the issue any further and went back to reading a magazine that he had brought with him. Suddenly, the Library doors flung open, startling Matthew and Ulrich, and in came Gary, Jonah, Mariah, and Alexis dragging behind them was...

Matthew: Natalie?

Ulrich: What are you guys doing here? And why are you dragging Natalie around like a rag doll?

Alexis: We came to tell Matthew and Natalie the truth. We know what REALLY happened this morning.

Ulrich: Oh do you? Okay, please enlighten us.

So, Gary and Jonah brought Natalie over to an empty seat beside each other and Natalie sat down, still not looking at Matthew and Matthew not looking at her.

Gary: Just try to hold the nerves of killing each other until we explain what happen will ya?

Matthew &amp; Natalie: Fine.

Gary, Jonah, Alexis, and Mariah sat on the opposite side of the table and began to explain everything.

Alexis: We know what really happened with Stephanie and Matthew.

Mariah: Brandon told Stephanie to do it.

Matthew and Natalie's eyes went wide.

Gary: Jonah and I heard Brandon talking to Stephanie last night. We were going tell you before breakfast, but we over slept and we were too late.

Jonah: We overheard Brandon telling Stephanie to kiss Matthew when Natalie got to his room to get her gift. He said that it was supposed to be a way for Stephanie to you over Matt.

Matthew: Why that no good, evil...

He stopped what he was saying when he felt Natalie's hand touch his shoulder. He turned and looked into her eyes. And for the first time today, they weren't filled with hurt and tears. Instead, they were filled with guilt and sorrow.

Natalie: Matthew, I'm sorry. I really am. I misjudged you when I saw you kissing Stephanie. I should have let you explain. I'm sorry. I know you probably hate me now that I ruined our Valentines Day, but...

She was interrupted when Matthew leaned in and kissed her. Natalie gladly returned the kiss bringing up "awws" from Mariah and Alexis. A second later, Matthew pulled away and reached into his pocket and pulled out the purple bag with her gift in it. He showed the bag to her.

Matthew: I forgive you Natalie, and I'm sorry for letting this happen. I hope this makes up for it.

He handed the bag to her and Natalie opened it up, pulling out the necklace. She gasped.

Natalie: It's beautiful. I absolutely love it. Thank you.

She put it around her neck and the gang stared at it in awe.

Gary: Nice choice of a gift mate.

Matthew: Thanks.

Jonah: Hey Gary, that reminds me. How about we give our Valentines their gifts.

The gang was suddenly confused.

Matthew: Uhh...I thought you guys said that you didn't have a Valentine.

Gary: Yeah, we lied.

They reached into their bags and brought out a card and a bright red rose and turned to Mariah and Alexis. To the girl's surprise, the guys handed them the cards and roses. Opening the cards, they read "Will you go out with me?" A big smile appeared on their faces.

Alexis: That's so sweet.

Mariah: Of course I'll go out with you Jonah.

The girls gave them big hugs and the biggest smiles crossed Gary and Jonah's faces.

Matthew: Now that is what I call a Valentines Day surprise. And speaking of surprises, I think we should pay Brandon and Stephanie a visit. Am I able to Coach Ulrich.

Ulrich: I think I can let this one slide since you all found out the truth. And don't worry, I'll be sure to tell Mr. Hamilton about it and to see if he can get you off the hook.

Matthew: Thanks Coach. Let's go guys.

So the gang left the Library and marched over to Brandon's room. When they arrived, Matthew pounded on the door and a moment later, Brandon answered. When he saw the gang all together giving him stern glares, a nervous smile came across his face.

Brandon: Heh heh...hey guys...how's it hanging?

Matthew: We know what you did Brandon. We know that you planned on Stephanie breaking us up. Well surprise surprise, you fail again. Like I told you a few months, we got more sense than you do Brandon. We don't go ruining other people's relationships just because you or Stephanie can't find a girlfriend or boyfriend of your own. So do us a favor and stay out of our business and out of our lives.

With that, the gang left Brandon alone and headed for Matthew's room. Brandon shut the door behind him, and began thinking about what he did. Meanwhile in Matthew's room...

Matthew: Even though we told off Brandon, I still think that we should be on our guard a lot more. Especially with Prom coming up in April.

Natalie: Yeah, I agree. But maybe the thing we really need to focus on is Career Day next month. Remember, the school is bringing over representatives from each career cluster for us to browse, get info, and determine our future.

Gary: That's gonna be interesting. Let's see how that plays out.

Mariah: Yeah, but for now, let's enjoy the rest of Valentines Day together.

And that's what they did. They hung out with each other the rest of the day until in finally curfew and they headed off to bed.

* * *

**Before you guys say anything, yes I know this chapter is late, but like always there is a reason for it. I came back from a 11 day vacation in Pennsylvania on Tuesday and I've just been absolutely busy with my job and my future career in the Marine Corps. But through all that time, I also spent those days gathering ideas and putting them together in my head, and today I finally had enough time to actually put them in the story. So there's my explanation. Again, I'm sorry that this chapter is late, but come on, everyone needs a vacation and everyone needs to focus on their future. But anyway, that's my reason. Don't worry, more will come soon.**

**Until next time, FakeACU83 OUT!**


	42. Career Day

_**Chapter 42: Career Day**_

**A Few More Weeks Later**

**March**

A few weeks had past and soon, it was the beginning of March. The weather was now starting to warm up more, especially with Spring just 2 more weeks away. With Valentines Day been and gone, and the drama that went on between the gang and their rivals, the focus of attention now this month was on Kadic Academy's Career Day. On this day, representatives from each type of career known to man comes over to Kadic and sets up booths in the gymnasium, where students can browse, gain information, ask the reps questions, and possibly determine their future career. All of the students were excited. Mostly because Career Day takes up the whole day and classes had to be postponed until the next day.

On the evening before Career Day, the gang was sitting at their normal table in the cafeteria, eating their dinner, and discussing their future careers.

Gary: Let's start with you Matt. What's the career you want?

Matthew gave Gary a blank stare.

Matthew: ...Seriously Gary? You're asking me what I want as my career? Has the image that is printed on my shirt not been obvious since I met you?

He motioned the picture of the F1 race car on his white shirt. Gary felt rather foolish for forgetting.

Gary: Oh right...Heh, sorry about that.

Matthew: It's cool man. Anyway, since you asked first, what about yourself?

Gary: For me, I really want to play for a professional soccer team, like Coach Ulrich did when he and his team won those 4 national championships and The World Cup. That's what I want to do, but I highly doubt that there will be a rep there for that. But it wouldn't hurt to go and have a look at what's there.

Matthew: Yeah me to. I highly doubt that a Formula 1 race team would come to a school as a representative. But may as well have a look.

Mariah: Hey Gary, if you do make it to pro, do you think you'll be able to get us in for free?

Gary: Heh, I'll see what I can do. Now what about you Mariah?

Mariah: I want to work for the Police Department.

Natalie: Woah, really? What made you think of that?

Mariah: My dad's a retired police officer and I looked up to him and always wanted to be one. Plus, I seem pretty skilled at using my laser cannons on Lyoko.

Natalie: Well that's true.

Mariah: What about you Nat?

Natalie: I actually decided that I'm not going to be a famous singer.

The gang gasped a bit, but Natalie calmed them down.

Natalie: Hold your horses there. I'm not finished yet. The reason being is because the same thing that happened to me in my simulation bubble, with me losing my voice, could also happen to me in real life. But I'm not letting that stop me from singing. Instead, I'm thinking of opening and owning my own restaurant with karaoke stands where myself and other people who want to sing can provide some entertainment for the customers.

Matthew: That sounds awesome!

Natalie: Thanks. Now how about Alexis?

Alexis: I want to work for the NEWS as a helicopter reporter. That way, I can live my dream of flying helicopters.

Jonah: Nice! I want to work for the NEWS as well. Only for me, I was planning on becoming the weatherman, to keep people safe and informed of any disasters within reach.

Matthew: Sounds like we have our plans for the future. Now all that's left to do, is scout around the gym tomorrow and see what we can find.

So when the gang and the rest of the students finished their dinner, they went back to their respected dorm rooms, got into their pajamas, and went to sleep for what would be a very busy day tomorrow.

* * *

**The Next Day**

**Gymnasium**

The big day came, and after a hardy breakfast, all of the students filed in the gym. Inside were many tables with 2 reps each from all careers imaginable. From architecture to carpentry, from engineers to lawyers, there were as many as the eye could see.

Matthew: Wooooow...look at all this.

Natalie: I never thought that this many reps would be here in one place.

Gary: Well, might as well have a look around. Should we stick together like always?

Matthew: Yeah, who knows with this many people in here at once, we might lose each other if we're separated.

So the gang walked further into the gym and took a gander or two at some of the stands. They first started with the law enforcement stand where Mariah was able to talk to the 2 policemen that were sitting there. They gave her info on how to join, what the requirements were, what the training was like, and what life was like in general as a cop. Mariah also told them that her father was a retired policeman and how she always looked up to him and how she wanted to be one herself. She even told them that she and her father would often play "Cops N' Robbers" outside in their yard, where Mariah was the cop and her dad was the crook.

They next went over to the NEWS stand, where Jonah and Alexis were talking to the 2 NEWS anchors that were there. Alexis told them how she always wanted to fly a helicopter and how being a NEWS Chopper reporter would suit her best. While Jonah told them why he wanted to be the meteorologists because he wants to make sure that everyone within the country is safe from any sort of natural disaster.

Next, they wandered over to a business management/owner stand was, where 2 business owners were filling in Natalie on what to do when you start a business, how to run it properly, how to enhance it and make it better, and how to keep the customers coming back for more.

They were even able to find a stand with 2 Olympic Gold Medalists were running. This came as a shock to the gang, but mostly Gary, who never would have thought that Gold Medal Winners in the Olympics would be at Kadic. He asked them how they got their opportunity in the Olympics and both said it was because of their outstanding performance in the sport they played professionally. One medalist was a pro soccer player and the other was a winner France's annual "Tour de France" bicycle race. This made Gary think that if he could succeed in soccer just as they could, he could possibly be in the Olympics to.

Meanwhile outside of the gym, a large 18 wheel truck and trailer pulled to a stop. The cab doors opened and out stepped 4 men. 2 of them were dressed in business casual attire. The outfits were the exact same on the men, which consisted of a dark blue polo shirt with white trimming, jet black dress pants and shoes. There was also a logo on the right side of the shirt. The logo said "Hardy-Dubois." The only difference between the two men was that one was taller than the other and had black hair, brown eyes, and a pair of glasses, while the other man was slightly shorter and had brown hair and brown eyes and no glasses. The other 2 men looked to be much younger than the well dressed men and their clothes were extremely different. Again, both sets were the exact same and looked to be like a one-piece uniform of some sort that was dark blue all over with white trimming detail, and blue shoes. The outfits also had many logos on them, including the company's name "Hardy-Dubois." They were about the same height but one had short blonde hair and blue eyes while the other had short brown hair with green eyes. The 4 men went to the back of the trailer and opened it up. The 2 well dressed man went inside the trailer and began to roll out a large covered object and parked it beside the trailer. They uncovered it and it revealed a strange looking vehicle. The taller man turned to his shorter colleague and spoke in French.

Taller Man: Ok Nathaniel, nous allons démarrer. (Ok Nathaniel, let's start it up.)

Shorter Man: Oui Benjamin. (Yes Benjamin).

Back inside the gym, the gang were still hanging around the Olympic's Stand with Gary asking question after question. The gang didn't mind it, but Matthew was starting to get a little bored and discouraged. He was bored because he couldn't find a stand that interested him in the slightest and thus made him discouraged, thinking that he wouldn't be able to find himself a good career. Suddenly, he and the rest of the students and reps heard a loud and high-pitched noise from what sounded like a high performance car. Matthew perked up, he had heard that sound before.

Matthew: No...no way.

He heard the noise again and began to get excited. He looked to where the sound was coming from. It was coming from outside the gym. The gang could see an excited look on his face and grew curious.

Natalie: Matt, are you alright?

The noise was heard again and before Natalie could get an answer, Matthew raced off towards the gym's exit.

Natalie: Matthew! Wait up!

The gang followed Matthew towards the doors, also confused as to what was happening. Matthew was the first to find out when he burst through the doors and got the shock of his life.

Matthew: I don't believe what I'm seeing!

Benjamin: Bonjour jeune homme. (Hello young man.)

Matthew turned to see the 4 dressed men standing beside the uncovered object, which to his utter shock was a dark blue and white Formula 1 race car. The gang joined Matthew moments later along with the rest of the students and were shocked to see an F1 car and team standing there. Matthew walked over to the 4 men and extended his hand.

Matthew: He...hello. Umm...do you speak any English?

Benjamin: *chuckles* Of coarse youngster...well except for Nathaniel here. He's only learned French and no English, but don't worry, I'm quite fluent with English.

Matthew suddenly remembered something.

Matthew: Wait a minute...did you say Nathaniel?

Benjamin: Why yes. Why do you ask?

Matthew: There's an F1 race car here and one of the team members is named Nathaniel...I've heard of you guys. You're the newest Formula 1 team. The French based team, Hardy-Dubois F1! And you're the team founders, Benjamin Hardy and Nathaniel Dubois.

Benjamin looked impressed.

Benjamin: Ah, so you've heard about us.

Matthew: Yes I have.

Just then, the gang joined up behind Matthew. They were just as amazed by the F1 team.

Mariah: Matthew...who are they?

Matthew: Guys, this is the newest team in Formula 1, Hardy-Dubois F1. Their based over in Le Mans.

Alexis: How do you know so much about them?

Matthew: Back in July of last year, before my family moved from New York to here, I was looking around in the news on my laptop and I saw an article about a brand new French F1 team that was planning on racing this year. I thought to myself, _"When we move here, maybe I'll be lucky enough to go and visit their race shop."_ But I never thought that they would actually come to Kadic for Career Day.

Benjamin: Well, I see that you've done your research. What's your name there young one?

Matthew: Matthew Stephenson Mr. Hardy. And these are my friends Gary, Alexis, Jonah, Mariah, and my girlfriend Natalie.

Benjamin: Nice to meet you Matthew and your friends. And you're right, we're planning on competing our first full-time season this year. We have our 2 team drivers all signed up and ready to go. Their right over there by the way.

Benjamin pointed over to where the drivers wearing the blue and white racing suits were standing by the car, which they turned off moments ago.

Benjamin: Allow me to introduce you to our drivers. The one with the blonde hair is our #1 driver, Sebastian Kaufman of Germany and the one with the brown hair is our #2 driver, Aaron Beasley of Great Britain.

Sebastian: Guten tag. (Good day.)

Aaron: Hello.

In Formula 1, each team must have 2 drivers in order to compete. The team determines the #1 and #2 driver based off performance and skill on track during testing or last season. In this case for the new team, it was based off pre-season testing that had been done back in January. And with the cars looking identical, the only way to tell the difference between the #1 and #2 driver was that the HD cameras that were mounted on top of the car had bright yellow stickers for the #2 driver while the cameras for the #1 driver remained the standard black color.

Matthew: Speaking of Career Day, what brings you all here to Kadic?

Benjamin: Well, we're in a bit of a jam. You see, even though we have our 2 required drivers in order to compete, they can't always be around to test out the car when we develop updated parts to hopefully make the car go quicker and be more efficient and thus winning more races. So, we're in need of a test driver to test out the updated car, when we need him, during practice before Race Day.

Matthew eyes went wide and so did the gang and the rest of the students.

Matthew: So...does the test driver need to be at ever single race to test the car during practice?

Benjamin: No he doesn't. We would call upon the test driver when we are in need of him or her.

Matthew: So it could be during, let's say, the 3rd race of the season and then later on like during the 8th race?

Benjamin: That is correct. And from the way that you've heard about us and explained us to your friends here, it seems to me that you understand Formula 1 quite well for your young self. So that brings me to a question I have for you. Would you like to become Hardy-Dubois F1's official test driver?

Matthew, the gang's, and the other student's eyes went as wide as dinner plates. 15 year old Matthew Stephenson, the American student who hasn't yet completed his first year at Kadic Academy, was just offered a career in Formula 1 as the team's test driver. Benjamin extended out his hand and patiently waited for an answer. Matthew didn't even know what to make of it. He turned around and looked at his friends. They had big smiles on their faces and nodding at him, encouraging him to accept. Matthew turned back around to face Benjamin and smiled the biggest smile ever.

Matthew: Mr. Hardy and Mr. Dubois, you got yourself a deal!

Matthew shook Benjamin's and Nathaniel's hands in agreement. A round of applause could be heard in the background from the rest of the students.

Benjamin: Nathaniel, nous venons de nous a un pilote d'essai. (Nathaniel, we just got ourselves a test driver.)

Nathaniel: Magnifique! Bienvenue dans l'équipe Matthew. (Magnificent! Welcome to the team Matthew.)

Benjamin: He says welcome to the team. Now I do have a couple of questions for you. How old are you and do you have your learner's permit?

Matthew: I'm 15 years old and sadly I don't have my permit.

Benjamin: When do you turn 16?

Matthew: I'll actually turn 16 in 2 weeks and my father said that once I'm 16, he'll take me to get my learner's permit.

Benjamin: Fantastic. That works out perfectly. Here's this year's schedule for you.

Benjamin handed him a piece of paper with the F1 season's races printed on it. There were 19 races total spanning over a course of 9 months, starting in Australia and ending in Abu Dhabi in the Middle East.

Benjamin: The first race for us will be in 2 weeks in Australia. We've already done our pre-season testing in January and our car seems to have good pace against the top teams like Ferrari, Mercedes, and Infiniti Red Bull. So, once we get back to Le Mans, hopefully you'll have your learner's permit by then, and then we'll have you practicing in our driver simulator to get you started before you get behind the wheel.

Matthew: That sounds like a plan sir.

Benjamin: Well then, welcome to Hardy-Dubois F1 Matthew Stephenson.

Matthew: Thank you guys so much for giving me this opportunity. I promise you, I will not disappoint you.

Benjamin: We know you won't.

The rest of Career Day went on as planned and soon it was time to pack up for the day. All the reps packed up their pamphlets and what not and left the gymnasium while Ben, Nathan, Sebastian, and Aaron helped pack up the car into the trailer before heading back to their base in Le Mans. As the gang walked back to their dorms, the couldn't help but talk about Matthew's signing with the team.

Gary: I still can't believe that you're actually working for a F1 team.

Mariah: I can't wait to see you on TV. I'll be watching all of the races from now on just to see how the team is doing.

Matthew: I'm still having a hard time trying to comprehend on what happened. Don't get me wrong I'm excited but also freaking out right now.

Natalie: I'm not surprised, but give it a day or two and it'll sink in.

Matthew: I gotta tell my parents this. They're gonna flip out when I tell them.

They soon arrived at Matthew's dorm room.

Matthew: See you guys at breakfast tomorrow.

All: Night!

Matthew shut the door behind and opened his laptop and started a video call with his parents. Luckily, his parents were still awake as they answered moments later.

Matthew: Hey mom and dad! I got big news!

Mrs. Stephenson: Oh? And what night that be?

Matthew: You guys know that I've been a fan of Formula 1 since I was a kid right?

Mr. Stephenson: How could we forget? We couldn't keep you away from the TV every time a race was on?

Matthew: Well, you guys aren't going to believe this, but a new F1 team called Hardy-Dubois F1 that's based over in Le Mans came to Kadic for Career Day today and asked me to be their test driver for the team!

Mr. Stephenson: You're kidding!

Matthew: I kid you not pops!

Mrs. Stephenson: That's wonderful dear! So does this mean you're going to race for real?

Matthew: Not quite. The team has their 2 drivers to race, but they need me as the test driver to test out new updated parts for the car to see if it can make the car faster and more efficient.

Mrs. Stephenson: That makes sense, but what about your school work?

Matthew: The good part about being a test driver, is that they don't need me each and every race. Only when the parts have been updated is when they'll need me. So I'll still be able to do my school work at Kadic, but if I'm needed, I'll take my work with me and do it while I'm away at the track.

Mr. Stephenson: I see. Well we're very proud of you son. You're finally going to be able to live your dream.

Matthew: Thanks dad. Oh by the way, I can't drive the car unless I'm 16 and have my permit. Are you still planning on taking me to get that on my birthday?

Mr. Stephenson: Don't you worry son, I haven't forgotten about that.

Matthew: Great. Thanks dad. Well I gotta log off now before I scolded for not being in bed by now. Love you guys!

Mrs. Stephenson: We love you too sweetheart. Congratulations.

Matthew: Thanks mom. Thanks dad. Take care!

With that, Matthew ended the call and shut down his laptop, before changing into his pajamas and crawling into bed a very ecstatic person.

* * *

**You guys have no idea how long I've been waiting to write this chapter. I've planned this chapter out in my head ever since like late June and have just been waiting and waiting for the right time to put it in words and for you all to read it. I really hope that you guys enjoyed it. Probably didn't expect something like this to happen during the story now did ya? Like I said before, I like to keep you guys on the edge of your seats. One more thing before I leave, I again want to thank you guys, my readers, my followers, my reviewers, just EVERYONE for sticking with me for this long. When this story began back in the middle of February, I honestly didn't think that it would get this popular and that you guys would enjoy it this much. Sure it's not the MOST popular Code Lyoko story out there, but it just warms my heart to see it be just as popular and just as liked as any other story. And it's because of you guys that this story is even possible. It's because of you guys that this story now has over 10,000 views. That's right, 10,000 views! That is just insane and I never thought this story would hit that milestone. So thank you guys so so much for everything. You guys are the absolute greatest!**

**That's it for today! Hope you guys enjoyed and be sure to leave a review, follow and favorite, and why not spread the word about this story. It's gotten this popular now. If you guys can share this story with your mates, it's popularity will only continue to grow. **

**Thanks so much again! And as always, FakeACU83 OUT!**


	43. Birthday to Remember Part 1: A Busy Day

_**Chapter 43: Birthday to Remember Part 1: A Busy Day**_

**2 Weeks Later**

Things went by as normal for the students of Kadic Academy. With Career Day now in the history books, the next thing that the students were looking forward to was Spring Break, a whole week of no classes and freedom for the students. But there was also another big occasion during Spring Break, and that was Matthew's 16th birthday. And although he didn't know it at the time, but this was about to be a birthday that he would remember for the rest of his life.

On the Sunday before Spring Break began, the gang and some of the other students were in the recreation room passing the time away either playing Foosball, watching TV, playing video games or Ping-Pong, or just happily chatting amongst themselves. But for Matthew, he was paying close attention to the TV because today was the day of the season opening race of the new Formula 1 season and the first race for his new team Hardy-DuBois F1 at the Australian Grand Prix. His teammates Sebastian and Aaron started the race in 4th and 6th place out of the 22 car field, with Sebastian driving Car #24 and Aaron driving Car #71. The team were quite surprised that they were starting the race that well despite it being their first ever race. But over the course of the event, both cars were consistent and stayed within the Top 10 pretty much the whole race. Matthew had been sitting on the coach for nearly the last 2 hours watching the event unfold. Some of the other students that were in the rec room even gathered around to watch the race, all interested with how the new team would do in their first outing. When the race was finished, it was the reigning champion Mercedes team taking the Top 2 spots on the podium with Sebastian coming home in 5th place and Aaron finishing where he started in 6th, scoring the team's first ever World Championship points. As the the crowd around Matthew began to disperse, Matthew shut off the TV and went over to where his friends were had just finished watching Gary beat Jonah...again at Foosball.

Gary: BOO-YAH! That's 6 games in a row right there mate!

Jonah scowled as Gary broke out into a victory dance.

Jonah: Mark my words Gary, one day that streak of yours will end by me.

Gary: Yeah, I believe it when I see it.

Gary then notice Matthew walk on over to them.

Gary: Nice of you to join us mate. Haven't heard from you for a couple of hours.

Matthew: I was watching the first F1 race of the season to see how my new team would do.

Mariah: Speaking of which, how did your new team do?

Matthew: Not too bad for their first race. Seb finished 5th and Aaron finished 6th, so a good solid day for our new team.

Gary: Where were they racing again? The place looks familiar.

Matthew: It was Albert Park in Melbourne Australia.

Gary: No way! I've visited Albert Park's beaches back when I was a kid. Long before I moved here. Lovely place that was.

Matthew: Wow, ya learn something new everyday huh.

Natalie: So what's next for the team then?

Matthew: Let's see...according to the schedule, the next race will be in 2 weeks in Malaysia. But before that, they're going to be coming back to Le Mans to get me trained in the driver simulator. But first, I need my permit, which I'll be getting tomorrow because my birthday is tomorrow.

Jonah: Must be pretty excited huh?

Matthew: You bet I am! I can't for tomorrow to come!

Alexis: Be sure to get some pictures or record it for us to see when you get back.

Natalie:And when you do get back, we want to hear all about it.

Matthew: Don't you worry guys, I'll be sure to tell you, right down to the last little detail.

*RING RING RING*

Matthew suddenly felt his phone ring in his pocket. He looked at the number and saw that it was his father calling him.

Matthew: Hey dad!

_Mr. Stephenson: Hey Matthew, how's it been?_

Matthew: Been pretty good, just finished watching my new team compete in their first race. They did quite well.

_Mr. Stephenson: Getting off to a good start is key for a new team, but I digress. The reason I'm calling you is because at around 8:30 tomorrow morning, I'll be over at Kadic to come and pick you up so that I can take you to the DMV to get your learner's permit. Does that sound good to you?_

Matthew: Sounds like a plan. I'll be up early anyway to get some breakfast.

_Mr. Stephenson: Alright then. See you tomorrow son._

Matthew: Bye dad.

He hung up the call and turned to his friends. He was about to speak to them when all of the sudden, his phone rang again. He looked at the number and saw that it was unknown. Matthew answered it anyway.

Matthew: Hello? Who's this?

_Benjamin: It's Benjamin Hardy young Matthew._

Matthew: Hello Mr. Hardy! Great way to start the season I must say.

_Benjamin: Many thanks Matthew. I'm glad you got to see it. Anyway, we're already packing up our equipment and getting ready to hop on our plane to head back to Le Mans. I was wondering, when will you be getting your permit so that we can start training you?_

Matthew: I actually just got off the phone with my dad. He told me that tomorrow morning, he was going to take me to get my permit.

_Benjamin: Great. Well, it's going to be a long flight for us to get back to France...about 14 hours if I'm not mistaking. So, by the way we're looking at it, we should return around 5 AM tomorrow. And with Kadic being about a 2 hour drive from our headquarters, when your getting ready to leave the campus, give me a call and I'll start driving to Kadic and I'll meet you there when you return._

Matthew: That sounds like a plan Mr. Hardy.

_Benjamin: You don't have to use the Mr. Just call me Benjamin._

Matthew: Ok Benjamin, I'll see you tomorrow.

_Benjamin: See you then._

Matthew hung up the call and turned to his friends...again.

Matthew: Looks like I'm going to be a busy guy tomorrow. First I'm gonna get my permit, then afterwards Benjamin is gonna take me to the race shop to start training me. So you might not see me much at all tomorrow.

Gary: Ah we'll be alright. Besides, this is what you wanted to do after all.

Matthew: You're right on that Gary.

Natalie: I'm gonna miss you tomorrow. You know that.

Matthew: I'll miss you to, but don't worry. It will only be for tomorrow.

Natalie smiled as the gang walked out of the rec room. The day wore on and night soon came. The gang said their goodnight's before retiring to their rooms for the night. None of them knew however, that their biggest enemy was plotting once again.

* * *

**Lyoko-Unknown Location**

Inside a tower far away from Lyoko, XANA was scanning an area through his interface and came across the town of Le Mans. He continued scanning the area until moments later, he found what he was looking for. It was a large modern looking building complex nestled away from civilization. He did a scan on the building and chuckled to himself in his demonic voice as the results came in.

XANA: There it is. Let's see how that little Matthew can survive me this time.

* * *

**The Next Morning**

**7:00 AM**

The early morning sun rose slowly over the horizon dawning a new day. Over at Kadic, Matthew was in his room getting ready to make his way over to breakfast. Just as he finished getting dressed, there was a knock at his door. Curious, he walked over and opened it revealing...

Gang: HAPPY BIRTHDAY MATT!

...the whole gang standing at the door with a small cake and gifts in their hands. Matthew was surprised and very happy.

Matthew: Aww guys, thanks. You're the best. But, why the gifts?

Natalie: Because of all the stuff that you did for us. With making our new abilities and setting us free from our simulation prisons. You've done so much for us in the past, now it's our turn to give you some gifts.

Matthew smiled widely as he sat down on his bed and his friends handing him his presents. Jonah was the first one up. He had two gifts in his hands. One of which was a small wrapped box and the other a small and flat wrapped package. Matthew did away with the wrapping on the small box. When he opened the box, his eyes grew wide. Out of the box, he pulled out a belt buckle that was in the shape of the Formula 1 insignia.

Matthew: Dude Jonah this is so cool. How did you find one of these?

Jonah: I found this website that makes custom belt buckles. I looked up the F1 logo and sent the picture over to the website and thus came the buckle.

Matthew: Holy cow Jonah, that's amazing! I'll definitely put this on my belt later today.

Jonah: I'm glad you like it. Now go ahead and open the second one.

So Matthew did. He tore off the wrapping and it revealed a new computer game, which happened to be the newest F1 game for PC.

Matthew: Aw man thanks Jonah. I've been wanting to play this ever since it was released a few months ago.

Jonah: Glad I could get it for you. Ok, so who's next?

Mariah: I'll go next!

Mariah stepped forward and handed Matthew a large wrapped box.

Mariah: I did a little shopping over the weekend. I hope you like it.

Matthew: Well let's see what we have.

Matthew unwrapped the box and pulled the top off to reveal a light gray hoodie jacket with a large image of the American Flag on the front and surrounded with the words "God Bless the U.S.A."

Matthew: Woooow. I love it! Thank you Mariah. It really does remind me of home. Or should I say, my old home. Because France is my home now. After all, it's where I met you guys.

The gang smiled at this as Matthew tried on the hoodie.

Matthew: Awesome! It fit's perfectly. I'm gonna be wearing this the rest of the day.

Mariah smiled at her friend's joy.

Alexis: My turn!

Alexis handed him a relatively flat and square package.

Alexis: You might get a laugh out of this one.

Matthew instantly grew interested as he did away with the wrapping and opened up the box to reveal a dartboard that could be hung on the back of his door. But there was something else inside the box. Matthew looked again and saw two pictures. One of them was of Brandon and the other was of Stephanie.

Alexis: I figured after all the Valentines' Day mess you and Natalie went through, you might need to let off some steam by throwing some darts at their pictured faces.

The whole ganged laughed loudly as Matthew set up the board on his door. He pinned the photos to the board and picked up one of the six darts.

Matthew: Ok...who's gonna get hit first...survey says...

Matthew tossed the dart and hit Brandon's picture...

Matthew: Ooooh...right on the nose.

The gang chuckled again as Matthew sat back down on his bed.

Gary: I'll go next!

Gary also had two gifts with him like Jonah. Only this time, one of them was in the shape of a ball and the other was long and flat. Matthew opened up the sphere shaped gift first and saw that it was a new soccer ball that was in the pattern and the colors of the French Flag.

Matthew: I did say that France was my home and this gift sure proves it. Thanks Gary! I can't wait to kick this around.

Gary: No problem mate. Now open the next one.

So he did. Matthew opened up the second gift from Gary and it turned out to be a new skateboard. Matthew beamed widely.

Matthew: A new board. NICE! Man Gary this is awesome.

Gary: Glad you like it man.

Natalie: Ok, I'm the last one up.

Matthew: Save the best for last.

Natalie smiled as she presented him the last gift. It was a small wrapped box.

Natalie: I was planning on giving you this for Valentines' Day, but after everything that happened, I felt like that it would mean more to you on your birthday.

Matthew smiled as he opened the box. His eyes lit up as he saw what was inside. It was an old school English silver pocket watch with a silver chain for him to attach to his belt loop while he kept the watch in his pocket.

Matthew: Wooooow! I love this watch!

Natalie: Open it up and look inside it.

Matthew pressed the button that opened up the watch and looked inside. On the right side was the normal clock that showed the time, but on the inside of the door was a half-and-half picture of he and Natalie. Matthew smiled broadly and the gang couldn't help but "awe."

Matthew: And now I love it even more. Thank you Natalie.

He stood up and gave her a big hug and kiss. Then, the rest of the gang joined in the hug. Matthew chuckled to himself as the gang released him from their squeeze.

Matthew: Thanks everyone for the amazing gifts.

Gang: You're welcome.

Matthew: Now before I have to leave to get my permit, let's have some of that cake.

The gang happily agreed as they dug into the cake, not even bothering to cut it. About an hour later, after the gang had finished eating the cake and grabbing a small breakfast, the 6 friends were waiting outside by the front gates for Mr. Stephenson, who was coming to take Matthew to get his learner's permit. It was about 5 minutes past 8:30 AM when a small tan car pulled to a stop beside the 6 friends. It was Mr. Stephenson. Matthew turned to his friends.

Matthew: Well guys, I'll see you all later on tonight. I left my laptop in my room because I'm going to be too busy to be keeping track of you-know-who, so could one of you go grab that and keep an eye out in case he decides to show up?

Jonah: I'll go grab it. And don't worry, if it does happen, we'll call Mr. Belpois and let him know.

Matthew: I knew I could count on you guys. See you all later.

Gang: See ya!

Matthew got into his father's car and waved to his friends goodbye as they drove away. As the gang walked back towards the campus, Matthew pulled out his phone and dialed Benjamin's number.

Mr. Stephenson: Who are you calling son?

Matthew: My team's boss, Mr. Hardy. After I get back from getting my permit, he's going to take me to the race shop in Le Mans and start training me in the driver's simulator.

Mr. Stephenson: Wow that sounds exciting. You're going to be very busy today.

Matthew: I figured that out last night when you and him called.

The father and son both chuckled as they drove away towards the DMV.

* * *

**Belpois Residence**

A little further away from Kadic, Jeremy and Aelita were sitting on the front porch enjoying the lovely day that it was. Aelita was reading a small book, whilst Jeremy was tapping away at his keyboard on his laptop. He seemed to be working on something. He continued to type away, until he heard Aelita begin to speak.

Aelita: So Jeremy, word on the street is that your young apprentice Matthew just signed a contract to be a test driver for a new race team?

Jeremy: So you've heard all about that huh? Yeah, the news of that spread throughout the school like wildfire. I must admit, I'm quite impressed with him. He and his friends have come a long way haven't they?

Aelita: Yes they have Jeremy. Yes they have. So, what's he doing now with his team?

Jeremy: From what I heard, his boss was going to take him to the race shop over in Le Mans to start training up in some sort of simulator. But he has to be 16 and have his permit...Which, now that I think about it, today is his birthday if I'm not mistaking.

Aelita let out a sad sigh and Jeremy noticed.

Jeremy: Aelita, what's the matter?

Aelita: It's just...I remember celebrating my birthday with my father. All the fun times that I had with him...until the men in black came and ran us out of our home and to Lyoko. Then after I saw the Mantas destroying him right in front of me before you launched the Anti-XANA program, I thought for sure I would never see him again. Then after you all found out that he's alive after all, I've been longing to see him again.

She sighed again, but Jeremy gave her a smile.

Jeremy: Well, you'll be happy to know that I have started a new materialization program to bring Franz Hopper back to Earth.

Aelita's eyes shot wide open and gasped.

Aelita: Really?!

Jeremy: That's right. I've been working on it ever since we brought you back from your Simulation Bubble.

He showed her what he was working on and indeed it was a modified materialization program, completely different from Aelita's old program when she first came back to Earth. Aelita jumped out of her chair and hugged her husband tightly, a single tear running down her cheek.

Aelita: Thank you Jeremy. Thank you so much.

Jeremy: You're welcome Aelita. I do anything for you.

Aelita held her hug for a few more moments before finally releasing Jeremy and snuggling up next to him as he continued his work.

* * *

**An Hour and a Half Later**

A while after, a sleek red Renault car pulled to a stop outside the front gates. Sitting in the driver seat was Benjamin Hardy, who had just arrived at Kadic to collect Matthew and take him to the race shop. However, he was nowhere to be seen. So he decided to give him a call just to find out where he was. A few seconds later...

_Matthew: Hello Benjamin._

Benjamin: Hello Matthew. I just pulled up at the front gates of Kadic to come and get you, but you're not here.

_Matthew: Oh, I'm actually on my way back right now. I just earned my permit and I just turned 16 today, so I'm all set and ready to start training._

Benjamin: Brilliant. How far away are you currently?

_Matthew: About another 5 minutes._

Benjamin: Very well. I will see you then.

He hung up the phone and waited for Matthew to arrive. He didn't have to wait long. True to his word, Matthew and his father rolled to a stop behind Benjamin's car 5 minutes later. Hopping out of the vehicle, Matthew bid his father good-day and climbed in to his new boss's car and drove away towards Le Mans. Along the way, Matthew started asking questions about what Benjamin and Nathaniel had planned for him.

Matthew: If I may ask sir, what do you and Nathaniel had in store for me when we get there?

Benjamin: Currently we are developing new parts for the cars that should be ready for the Bahrain Grand Prix, which is the 4th race on the schedule.

Matthew: Wow, that was fast.

Benjamin: Well we are a new team who has the capability of running with the top teams like last year's champion Mercedes Team. We want to show the other teams that we belong here and that we're capable of finishing on the podium and possibly even win. And hopefully the new parts will help us accomplish this. But anyway, Nathaniel is the team's technical director. He oversees all of the engineering that goes into the car, which means that he won't be joining us for your training for he is helping out constructing out new parts. But I will oversee your training, which will take place in our driver simulator. Basically what will happen is you will use the simulator to practice going around the track in Bahrain, so when the parts are ready to be used, we will call you down and have you test.

Matthew was amazed. In only the 4th race of the season, he might just get his first crack of being behind the wheel of one of the most advanced racing vehicles in the world. He grew ever more excited the more he thought about it. Just then, he remembered something. He quickly pulled out the season's schedule, which he had kept with him in his backpack ever since he signed with the team. Looking at the date of the Bahrain Grand Prix, he sighed with relief as he saw that the race was a week before Prom.

Matthew: _(to himself) Whew, at least I'll be back in time to take Natalie to Prom._

Slipping the schedule back into his bag, the pair continued their drive onto the freeway and through the countryside to Le Mans.

* * *

**I know that it has been a couple of weeks since the story was last updated, but the important thing is that I'm back, and with the start of another divided series of chapters. However, this one isn't going to be like 4 or 5 parts. Right now, it's looking to be about 2 parts, with of course the 2nd part coming very shortly. And just so you all know, Part 2 is indeed in the works being written as we speak. So just be patient for a little while longer and you all shall be rewarded. And before I forget, the ideas for Matthew's gifts were given to me by, you guessed it, my good mate pokemonking0924. Thanks a lot good sir! But moving right along, thank you all for reading this chapter. I know you guys know what to do as far as giving feedback.**

**Thanks again. And as always, FakeACU83 OUT!**


	44. Birthday to Remember Part 2: Guess Who

_Previously on Code Lyoko: New Youth_

_Gary: Nice of you to join us mate. Haven't heard from you for a couple of hours._

_Matthew: I was watching the first F1 race of the season to see how my new team would do._

_Mariah: Speaking of which, how did your new team do?_

_Matthew: Not too bad for their first race. Seb finished 5th and Aaron finished 6th, so a good solid day for our new team._

_00000000_

_Matthew: Hey dad!_

_Mr. Stephenson: Hey Matthew, how's it been?_

_Matthew: Been pretty good, just finished watching my new team compete in their first race. They did quite well._

_Mr. Stephenson: Getting off to a good start is key for a new team, but I digress. The reason I'm calling you is because at around 8:30 tomorrow morning, I'll be over at Kadic to come and pick you up so that I can take you to the DMV to get your learner's permit. Does that sound good to you?_

_Matthew: Sounds like a plan. I'll be up early anyway to get some breakfast._

_Mr. Stephenson: Alright then. See you tomorrow son._

_00000000_

_Matthew: Hello Mr. Hardy! Great way to start the season I must say._

_Benjamin: Many thanks Matthew. I'm glad you got to see it. Anyway, we're already packing up our equipment and getting ready to hop on our plane to head back to Le Mans. I was wondering, when will you be getting your permit so that we can start training you?_

_Matthew: I actually just got off the phone with my dad. He told me that tomorrow morning, he was going to take me to get my permit._

_Benjamin: Great. Well, it's going to be a long flight for us to get back to France...about 14 hours if I'm not mistaking. So, by the way we're looking at it, we should return around 5 AM tomorrow. And with Kadic being about a 2 hour drive from our headquarters, when your getting ready to leave the campus, give me a call and I'll start driving to Kadic and I'll meet you there when you return._

_00000000_

_Gang: HAPPY BIRTHDAY MATT!_

_Matthew: Aww guys, thanks. You're the best. But, why the gifts?_

_Natalie: Because of all the stuff that you did for us. With making our new abilities and setting us free from our simulation prisons. You've done so much for us in the past, now it's our turn to give you some gifts._

_00000000_

_Matthew: Well guys, I'll see you all later on tonight. I left my laptop in my room because I'm going to be too busy to be keeping track of you-know-who, so could one of you go grab that and keep an eye out in case he decides to show up?_

_Jonah: I'll go grab it. And don't worry, if it does happen, we'll call Mr. Belpois and let him know._

_Matthew: I knew I could count on you guys. See you all later._

_Gang: See ya!_

_00000000_

_Jeremy: Aelita, what's the matter?_

_Aelita: It's just...I remember celebrating my birthday with my father. All the fun times that I had with him...until the men in black came and ran us out of our home and to Lyoko. Then after I saw the Mantas destroying him right in front of me before you launched the Anti-XANA program, I thought for sure I would never see him again. Then after you all found out that he's alive after all, I've been longing to see him again._

_Jeremy: Well, you'll be happy to know that I have started a new materialization program to bring Franz Hopper back to Earth._

_00000000_

_Benjamin: Hello Matthew. I just pulled up at the front gates of Kadic to come and get you, but you're not here._

_Matthew: Oh, I'm actually on my way back right now. I just earned my permit and I just turned 16 today, so I'm all set and ready to start training._

_Benjamin: Brilliant. How far away are you currently?_

_Matthew: About another 5 minutes._

_Benjamin: Very well. I will see you then._

* * *

_**Chapter 44: Birthday to Remember Part 2: Guess Who**_

**Le Mans, France**

**Hardy-DuBois F1 Headquarters**

About an hour had past before Benjamin and Matthew arrived at the race shop. Matthew couldn't believe his eyes when he stepped out of the car. The complex was absolutely massive. There were 2 buildings within the complex, including the larger main building and a smaller building beside the main. The facility also included a large 12 turn test track, that included a long front straight, a couple of short straights, and a mix of sharp and sweeping corners. It took the young warrior a moment or two to take all of it in.

Matthew: Woooow...Benjamin this is amazing.

He immediately pulled out his phone and started taking pictures.

Benjamin: I agree young Matthew. Quite a feat of architecture and engineering. Now, since this is your first time seeing the facility, why don't we start with a tour before your training.

Matthew: Oh yes please!

Benjamin: Then follow me. We'll start with the production garage.

So Benjamin led Matthew over towards the smaller looking building. When they were inside, Matthew saw a enormous array of parts, pieces, tools, and gadgets all stocked up on various shelves. He also saw a large room with a large glass window for him to look through. He saw many mechanics in the room and it looked like they were hard at work at developing some parts. He also saw Nathaniel in the room helping the mechanics and overseeing the everything. Matthew took a few photos of the room as well as huge assortment of parts.

Benjamin: This is the Production Garage. This is where we research and develop new parts for the car or upgrades to our Renault engines that power our cars. This is also where Nathaniel is most of the time, with him being the technical director of the team.

From behind the glassed off room, Nathaniel noticed Benjamin walk in with Matthew. He gave a smile and a wave, before returning to work.

Benjamin: Like I said, Nathaniel is a very busy man when it comes to making and upgrading the cars. So he won't be joining us today. Now, let's move on to the test track.

Matthew: I can't wait to see this.

Exiting the Production Garage, Benjamin led Matthew over towards the pit lane of the large test track. This was Matthew's favorite place and he wanted his friends to see it to. So he grabbed a few more pictures to show them when he got back. Just then, they could here the sound of the car's engine coming towards them. Matthew looked down the pits and saw his 2 teammates pulling to a stop in front of them. After shutting off the cars and removing their helmets, Sebastian was the first to greet them.

Sebastian: Good morning Benjamin and good morning Matthew. It's nice to finally meet you.

Matthew: Morning Sebastian and Aaron. Nice to finally meet you both. I'm really excited to be here. So, what goes on here?

Aaron: This is where Seb and I practice for upcoming races. You know, just to be sure that we haven't lost our touch.

Matthew: Maybe one day, I'll get my chance to drive on this track.

But Aaron scoffed.

Aaron: Heh, that'll be the day when one of us decides to retire and the day that you become something other than a simple test driver.

Sebastian: AARON!

Aaron: What? I'm speaking the truth.

Benjamin: THAT'S ENOUGH! Look you two, I didn't hire the pair of you so you can argue. I hired you both to drive and strive for victory. Now, stop bickering and get back on the track.

Seb &amp; Aaron: Yes sir!

Aaron put his helmet back on and started up his car before driving away. But Sebastian stayed when he saw the sad look on young Matthew's face. He patted his shoulder generously and spoke.

Sebastian: Don't you listen to what Aaron says. He's often like that. Very competitive and trying to be the best there is, even if we're both teammates. Keep your chin up and who knows, maybe one day you will get your chance to drive.

Matthew smiled back at Sebastian.

Matthew: Thanks Seb. That means a lot.

Sebastian: Glad I could help. Bis demnächst! (See you around!)

And Seb put his helmet back on and drove away back onto the track.

Benjamin: Now then, let us head on over to our Main Building.

And Benjamin led Matthew to the largest main building. Inside were many mechanics and engineers on computers and drawing boards coming up with plans and ideas for new parts or better upgrades. There was also the sales department that was in charge of the team's financial side. This was also the building where the driver's simulator was located, as Matthew was about to find out. As he taking more pictures, Benjamin led him to a large room that was on the far right side of the building, which consisted of 3 large enclosed simulators as well as the main control panel.

Benjamin: And this is where your training will take place. You will use one of these simulators to practice driving around the Bahrain Circuit, which I will load up from behind this control panel. I will also be using the panel to track your progress as you go along. Is that clear?

Matthew: Yes sir! Crystal clear! I'm ready to begin.

Benjamin: Very well. Let's get started.

So Matthew hopped in one of the simulators and Benjamin loaded up the track. Once it was loaded, Matthew used the controls in front of him to begin turning laps around the virtual track. He was having a great time practicing...or so he thought.

* * *

**Lyoko-Unknown Location**

XANA: Perfect. Now time to put my plan into action.

In the Forest Sector of Lyoko, XANA activated one of the towers and in the factory, his specter crept out of the supercomputer and traveled not to Kadic, but to the race shop. Meanwhile, back in Le Mans, Matthew was still turning laps around the virtual track in the simulator and was having a good time. He turned some very good and consistent lap times but also had his share of mistakes, like going off track and occasionally spinning out. But, he knew that was normal, especially for a new driver learning the ropes. Outside of the simulator, Benjamin was manning the control panel. This panel was used to project the image of the track onto the simulator's screen and keep track of the driver's progress throughout the session. Everything seemed to be going as planned...or so they thought.

On the other side of the room, a lone plug-in outlet began to spark and XANA's specter made its way out, completely unbeknownst to Benjamin or Matthew. The specter snuck around Benjamin and slowly made its way inside the control panel. Suddenly, the panel began to blow off a massive amount of sparks and started to go haywire. The multiple screens, buttons, and other gizmos on the panel began to flash uncontrollably. Benjamin was greatly confused.

Benjamin: Ce qui se passe?! (What's happening?!)

But it wasn't just Benjamin who was having problems. Inside the closed simulator, Matthew's screen suddenly started to go static. The controls went absolutely bonkers before everything just turned off completely.

Matthew: Hey what happened?

It was pitch black inside the simulator and on the control panel...that is until XANA's eye appeared on the screens, confusing Benjamin even more and frightening Matthew.

Matthew: No...XANA!

Suddenly, the control panel began to blast out sparks again and bolts of electricity surged through the wires that were connected to the simulator and began to surround it, trapping Matthew inside. The simulator began to shutter violently, tossing Matthew around like a pinball in a blender. Matthew tried to grab onto something, but he couldn't with the simulator shaking all about. Outside the haywire simulator, Benjamin called to Matthew as loud as he could.

Benjamin: Hang on Matthew! I'm going to try and stop this.

Matthew however couldn't hear him, but Benjamin raced off to the other side of the room. Each of the 3 simulators had a main plug that supplied the power and by unplugging it, all power would be cut off from the machine. Benjamin was hoping that the plug would stop the shaking. He pulled the plug out of the socket and to his relief, the simulator stopped...but it wasn't over yet. Benjamin walked over to the door of the simulator and was going to try and pry it open to free Matthew. But when he placed his hand on the door, a blast of electricity surged through his body, sending hundreds of thousands of volts through his veins, before collapsing to the floor. Then the bolts began to surround the simulator again, but this time it didn't shake. Instead, the bolts were working their way through the simulator's outside shell and into the chamber with Matthew. Small bolts popped out at Matthew at random times, some of which struck him. Yelling in pain, Matthew reached for his phone. He had to call his friends for help. But before he could, another bolt of electricity zapped Matthew's phone, frying its circuits for good.

Matthew: Darn you XANA! Why must this happen on my birthday?! Oh...I hope the others at least have my laptop.

Although he wasn't aware, but his friends did have his laptop. After Matthew had left with his father to go get his permit, Jonah hurried back to Matthew's room to pick up his laptop, charger and other various gadgets that help him alert XANA. Once he had the equipment, he went back to join his friends at the courtyard. Once there, the 5 friends were discussing ideas on what they could do in their spare time. Although, they couldn't think of anything...except for heading back to the rec room and watch Gary and Jonah go at it at Foosball again...Anyway, the gang eventually decided to go on a walk through the town. With it now being Spring Break, the school's administrators have allowed the students freedom to roam the city instead of having them spend their week at the campus all day. Taking upon the opportunity, the gang headed off into the streets of the city. Along the way, they stopped at a small but popular arcade, where they past their time playing various games, including air hockey, skeeball, shooting basketballs, and playing some classic games from the old days. Eventually, it was nearly lunchtime and the gang stopped playing and went over to the food court to grab a bite. Once they had their food, they went over to a nearby table outside the arcade and dug in. After a few minutes of eating, Jonah began to speak...in a rather depressed voice.

Jonah: *sigh* I don't know about you guys, but I wish Matt was here with us.

Natalie: I know what you mean. I miss him to.

Mariah: It's not right for us to be without him. Sure, he's doing his job for his team, but the group's not complete without him.

Gary: Yeah, he sure brought a lot of fun in our lives.

Alexis: But remember guys, it's only for today. And besides, he's a test driver. Meaning they don't need him as often as his teammates.

The gang felt slightly better as they continued their meals. After they had finished and thrown away their trash, the gang was about to head back to Kadic...or so they were thinking.

*BEEP BEEP BEEP*

The gang suddenly heard the very familiar alarm coming from Matthew's laptop. Fear began to escalate as Jonah quickly open the computer and saw XANA's eye and a red tower.

Jonah: Oh no! XANA's activated a tower!

Natalie: Where?!

Jonah: Umm...uhh...Oh I don't know! Only Matthew seems to understand this mumbo-jumbo.

Gary: But Matt's not here to help us. He's still at...

Gary suddenly stopped talking as realization hit the gang like a ton of bricks. With Matthew being away, XANA had the perfect opportunity to strike. He knew that Matthew could help the gang when he was with them, but not when he was alone.

Gary: OH CRIKEY! XANA must have attacked Matthew at the race shop in Le Mans! We gotta get to Lyoko and fast!

Mariah: But how are we gonna get there without him?!

Natalie: Have you guys forgotten about Mr. and Mrs. Belpois? They know more about Lyoko than any of us. And I just happen to have Mr. Belpois' number. Let's get to the factory! It's not too far from here.

So Natalie pulled out her phone and dialed Jeremy's number, while she and her friends raced off towards the factory. Over at the Belpois Residence, Jeremy and Aeltia were still sitting out on the front porch swing, with Aelita leaning her head on Jeremy's shoulder snoozing and Jeremy still tapping away at his keyboard. Then suddenly, the XANA alarm began to go off, startling Aelita awake. Jeremy and Aelita then saw XANA's eye and the red tower appear on the screen.

Jeremy: Oh no, XANA's back!

Aelita: But...what's the attack?

Aelita was about to get her answer when Jeremy's phone started to ring. He recognized the number as Natalie's.

Jeremy: Natalie, what's going on?

_Natalie: Mr. Belpois, you and Mrs. Belpois need to come to the factory quick. XANA's attacking again, and we think he's attacking Matthew over at his team's shop in Le Mans. We don't know how to get ourselves to Lyoko without him, and he can't help is deactivate the tower with him away. We need you two to help us stop XANA and fast!_

Jeremy: Don't worry Natalie, we're on our way.

He hung up the phone and turned to Aelita.

Jeremy: XANA's attacking Matthew over in Le Mans. I'll get the car started. You go tell Maya that we're heading out somewhere and hurry back.

Aelita: Got it.

So Aelita rushed inside the house in search for Maya while Jeremy started up his car and waited. Moments later, Aelita climbed into the car and buckled herself up.

Aelita: I told Maya that we're making an emergency trip to the store and won't be back for a while.

Jeremy: That's good enough. Now hang on!

And Jeremy sped away to the factory. Luckily for them, the factory was a few miles away from their house, so it didn't take them long to arrive. Screeching to a stop on the bridge, the pair quickly got out of the car and swung down the ropes towards the elevator. After descending into the factory, they arrived at the Computer Room where they saw the gang waiting for them.

Natalie: Thank goodness you're here.

Aelita: How long were you waiting?

Mariah: Only about a couple of minutes. Now we need to hurry. Who knows what kind of danger Matt's in.

Jeremy: Right. You 6 head for the scanners. I'll get them started up.

Without needing to be told twice, Aelita and the gang descended down the elevator to the scanner room.

* * *

** Lyoko-Forest Sector**

Jeremy: VIRTUALIZATION!

It wasn't long before Natalie, Gary, and Mariah dropped down into the Forest Sector alongside Alexis, Jonah, and Aelita. Moments later, the OverBuggy and OverCopter appeared in front of them.

Jeremy: Ok you guys, the tower is East from your position. But for some reason, I'm not seeing any monsters guarding it.

Bad memories of XANA's last trick with the guardians flooded back through the warrior's heads at this news.

Gary: Man, I hope we don't ended up being ambushed by those Guardian things again...or any monster for that matter.

Jeremy: Well...I'll try to keep an eye out if anything happens in front of you. But for now, get a move on before it's too late!

So Gary and Mariah hopped into the OverBuggy, Alexis and Jonah climbed into the OverCopter, and Natalie and Aelita summoned their wings and together, they set off for the tower. Over at the race shop, Benjamin was still knocked out from his electric shock, while inside the simulator, Matthew was trying to take some sort of cover under the seats.

Matthew: Man I hope they're on Lyoko right now...I'm not gonna last much longer if this keeps up.

He was right. The electric bolts were starting to come through the simulator stronger. One large zap could mean the end. Back over on the Lyoko...

Aelita: Tower in sight Jeremy!

Jeremy: That's great Aelita.

Jonah: I wouldn't say that Mr. Belpios. There still no signs of any...AGH!

Suddenly, the OverCopter got hit by a large X-Shaped laser, devirtualizing it one shot. Jonah and Alexis fell to the ground hard. They weren't that high above ground, but they still fell hard enough for them to lose 50 lifepoints each. The rest of the warriors stopped instantly after what they saw happen.

Mariah: What the heck was that!?

Mariah and the warriors soon got their answer, as they heard the sound of deep buzzing. They looked around, but couldn't see anything. Just then, Aelita remembered something.

Aelita: Guys...I think I know what that is. It first showed itself back during our group competition.

The gang suddenly remembered what Aelita was talking about.

Jonah: Uh...oh.

Just then, the buzzing stopped and coming out of its camouflaged state was XANA's new Mantis. But that wasn't all as a group of 6 Bloks appeared from behind the trees and surrounded the gang from all sides.

Jeremy: This happened to us when we were looking for you guys in those Simulation Bubbles. I must warn you guys, the Mantis has the ability to eat its allies to regain its lifepoints. I figured that out when I remembered that Matthew's analysis on it showed an unknown ability.

Natalie: Well that just lovely. Come on guys, we faced worse than this. Let's stop XANA before he destroys Matthew!

Weapons in hand, the warriors prepared themselves for a hard fight.

Gary: I have a plan. Natalie and Mrs. Belpois, distract the Mantis with your flying. The rest of us, get rid of the Bloks. GO!

Natalie and Aelita took to the air and began flying around above the Mantis. Aelita threw a flew Energy Fields at it, but the Mantis used its scythe shaped arms to block it. However, it wasn't able to block Natalie's attacks, as she flew in behind it and used her Wind Slash power to knock it back a few feet away from the rest of the warriors, but not damaging it. The Mantis then fired its laser at the two warriors at the same time, but Aelita and Natalie were quick to react and dodge the massive blast. This went on and on for the girls as they were trying to distract the Mantis from eating the Bloks, which was going perfectly. XANA was completely unaware of what their plan was.

XANA: Those two fools stand no chance against my Mantis. Why do they even bother.

Then, a thought occurred to him.

XANA: Wait a moment, where are the Bloks?

He zoned in on the Bloks and was shocked to see that almost all of them were destroyed.

XANA: WHAT?! NO!

While the Mantis was too busy being distracted, Gary, Mariah, Jonah, and Alexis were dealing with the 6 Bloks. Mariah and Alexis were working together to get rid of 2 of them. The Bloks fired multiple shots at them, but they weren't good enough to hit them at all. The girls dodged the lasers and took it as an opportunity to strike. Mariah pulled out her laser guns and fired at one of the Bloks and easily destroyed it, while Alexis used her Invisibility power to sneak up behind the second Blok and made 2 quick jabs at it to destroy it. Gary was dealing with 2 more Bloks. He remembered his rough times with them during his training sessions a few months ago, and wasn't going to let them freeze his leg or anything. Dodging the lasers, he pulled out his 2 boomerangs and tossed them both at the Bloks. At first, the Bloks moved out of the way to miss them, but Gary knew that boomerangs always come back to its owner eventually, and wouldn't you know it, that is what happened. Just as the Bloks were charging up their lasers to fire at Gary, the boomerangs came out from around the trees to strike them both in XANA's eye to destroy them. As for Jonah, with him now 50 lifepoints short, he knew he had to be quick to destroying them, but also careful as to how to destroy them. Then Jonah remembered his Absorption ability. Pulling out his War Axe, he gave a mighty swing at one of the Bloks to destroy it with no problem. Then he turned his attention to the second and final Blok standing. It began to shoot at him, but wasn't able to hit him. Seizing his chance, Jonah swung his axe into the eye of XANA and began to drain the Blok its lifepoints in order to restore his. After a few moments, he had to pull out his axe and jump out of the way for the Blok exploded moments later. All 6 Bloks were gone and only the Mantis remained.

Jonah: WOO! Come on guys, lets finish th...AGH!

Alexis: DAH!

Gary: JONAH! ALEXIS! OOF!

Mariah: ...Oh great...AGH!

Just as they were about to attack the Mantis, it suddenly turned away from Aelita and Natalie and fired its powerful laser at the 4 warriors, devirtualizing them instantly. That only left Natalie and Aelita to deal with the beast.

Natalie: Well that was unexpected...

Aelita: Let's just take this thing down for good. Both of us go after its eyes at the same time. LET'S GO!

As the girls began the attack the Mantis, the 4 warriors hobbled their way back to the computer room and gathered around Jeremy to watch, still grumbling.

Mariah: Man I hate those things.

The rest of the warriors could only agree. Back on Lyoko, XANA was watching the whole thing play out.

XANA: They may have destroyed the Bloks, but they won't be able to destroy my Mantis. Heh heh heh.

But XANA was about to be proven wrong yet again. Once the girls started to get into a rhythm, they began doing damage to the Mantis. It started when Aelita fired a large Energy Field at one of the XANA eyes while the Mantis was trying to attack Natalie. It hit the Mantis square in the eye and thus disabling it. Only one eye was left and it was in Natalie's line of sight. She took out one of her blades and aimed it at the eye. With a mighty swing, she threw her sword tomahawk style and struck the last XANA eye. With a loud groan, the Mantis toppled over and exploded dramatically. Aelita and Natalie came down from the sky and deactivated their wings, high fiving each other.

Jeremy: Way to go girls, now we know the Mantis' are possible to destroy. Ok Aelita, you know what to do.

Aelita nodded and sprinted away to the tower. Over at the simulator, the bolts of lighting were now at their worst. The bolts were coming through the simulator's walls as if it was nothing. Matthew was still hiding underneath the seats but he felt that it wasn't going to be enough.

Matthew: Well...looks like this is the end of me.

Suddenly, a massive bolt zapped itself right in front of him startling him. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, expecting his end, while in the tower, Aelita had just finished entering Code: Lyoko.

Aelita: Tower deactivated.

Suddenly, the bolts stopped moving and everything went quiet. Matthew slowly opened his eyes just in time to see the electric bolts now dying down. He breathed a sigh of relief as he came out from his hiding spot. He pushed the simulator's door open and saw that Benjamin was now regaining consciousnesses.

Benjamin: Oh dear...Matthew are you alright? What on Earth happened?

Matthew: *smirking* Heh, sorry Benjamin, but in a few seconds, you're not going to remember anything that happened here today.

Benjamin: What are you on about young man?

Jeremy: Return to the past now!

The blinding white light consumed everything around it.

Matthew: See you in the past!

* * *

**Belpois Residence**

Jeremy: Is everything okay over there Matthew?

_Matthew: Yes sir. Everything is back to the way it should be. You guys saved my butt just in time. I thought it was going to be the end for me._

Jeremy: We wouldn't let that happen to you.

_Matthew: I know sir. Well I'll see you after Spring Break!_

Jeremy: See you then!

Jeremy hung up his call with Matthew and turned to Aelita who was back to laying beside him, just as they were before the attack.

Aelita: That sure was a close one Jeremy.

Jeremy: It sure was Aelita. I think we've been lagging behind as far as training them. So, I think it's time that they begin their Digital Sea training. And I want you, Odd, Ulrich, Yumi, and William to be part of it.

Aelita: But...how are we all going to fit inside the Skid? It only holds up to 5.

Jeremy: I thought ahead with that my dear. Besides working on a materialization program for your father, I've also been working on a new and improved Skidbladnir. I call it "The Skid 2.0".

Aelita: Wow, can I see it?

Jeremy: I kind of want it to be a surprise to you and everyone else. What I have in mind is for you guys to hang around the Skid 2.0, while I train the young ones on how to Navigate through the Digital Sea with their NavSkids, and also explaining to them everything that's in there, like the Huds, the databases, and of course XANA's world.

Aelita: WHAT?! Why XANA's world?

Jeremy: So when the time comes for us to break in, they'll know where it is and they'll be ready.

Aelita: Well...okay.

But Aelita wasn't sure. She remembered her conversation with XANA...or the image of XANA as she thought. She remember him saying that them finding his world would lead him to destroy them. She didn't that to happen, but then again she knew that the young warriors needed to learn about XANA's world if they want to help take him down. Feeling content, she laid her head back on Jeremy's shoulder and snoozed away.

* * *

**Lyoko-Unknown Location**

XANA: Blast! My plan with the Mantis failed miserably. But, I know for sure that my next plan for them when they go to the Digital Sea won't fail. I'll make sure of it!

XANA laughed loudly in his demonic voice as the interface in front of him began creating and analyzing a large monster.

* * *

**Well there you have it. The last part for "Birthday to Remember." I told you guys that it wouldn't take long for it to come out. I was true to my word. But anyway, I do hope that you guys enjoyed this latest installment, but before I leave, some of my viewers had some questions for me and I wanted to give them their answers at the end of this chapter. So...here we go.**

**This one is from a guest reviewer known as Rman. He asks, "Do you take any ideas for new warriors?" Unfortunately Rman, I'm not taking any requests for new warriors. I did read your ideas in my guest reviews section, but I didn't accept any of them. I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm happy with the cast of characters I currently have. Again, sorry to upset you, but I hope you understand.**

**This next one isn't really a question, more of a suggestion. But I'll put it in anyway. It's from one of my followers known as GreatLyokoWarrior56. He writes, "I would have to say that your newest installments are great and for future chapters I think you should probably have Matthew and Natalie's relationship strengthen or maybe even go to the next level unless you want to keep it kid friendly which is also ok." Well GreatLyokoWarrior56...the story IS rated K+ for a reason. Not to be rude or anything at all man, just pointing that out. Although, I might give it consideration if I decide to do a sequel for this story. But that's further down the road.**

**Anyway, I just wanted to make those clear. I hope you guys didn't mind that and I hope that answers your questions Rman and GreatLyokoWarrior56. Anyway, thank you guys so much for reading this new chapter. If you liked it...well you should know the drill by now XD.**

**More to come your way soon. But until then, as always, FakeACU83 OUT!**


	45. Digital Sea Training

_**Chapter 45: Digital Sea Training**_

**Spring Break-Friday**

**Belpois Residence**

**A Few Days after XANA's attack**

Jeremy: And...DONE!

Aelita: Hmm? What's done Jeremy?

Jeremy: The Skid 2.0!

Aelita: Really?! Already?!

Jeremy: Yep.

Ever since XANA's latest attack at Le Mans a few days ago, Jeremy had decided that it was time to resume the young gang's training, and this time they would train in the Digital Sea. Since the attack, Jeremy had been working overtime on the new and improved Skidbladnir and now just a few days later, it was done much to Aelita's surprise.

Aelita: But...I thought programming and making things like The Skid would take months to finish up.

Jeremy: Normally it would, but I've actually been working on it a little bit everyday since New Years. Just these past few days, I've been working much harder and much longer on it to get it done.

Aelita: I see. So, can I see what it looks like?

Jeremy: You'll get to see it when you guys are on Lyoko. Remember, I want you, Ulrich, Odd, Yumi, and William to go with the youngsters to the Digital Sea just to make sure that they're well protected.

Aelita: I understand. So, when do we start?

Jeremy: As soon as I call Matthew, we'll meet at the factory. While I do that, why don't you get a hold of Yumi and Odd for me.

Aelita: Ok, I'll tell them to pass it on to Ulrich and William.

Jeremy: Sounds good.

Pulling out his phone, Jeremy dialed Matthew's number while Aelita dialed Yumi's number. Moments later...

_Matthew: Hello?_

Jeremy: Matthew, this is Mr. Belpois. Listen, after XANA's latest attack, I've come to the realization that it's time to resume you and your friend's training on Lyoko. You guys have already covered your solo, duel, team, and Sector 5 missions, now it's time that you were trained in the Digital Sea.

_Matthew: Ok sir, when do you want us there?_

Jeremy: Immediately. We'll see you all there.

_Matthew: Wait..."we'll" see you all there?_

Jeremy: My friends are going to be joining you in your mission. They know the Digital Sea better and will provide you all some back-up in case things start to get out of hand.

_Matthew: Understood sir. We'll be right over._

Jeremy: See you then.

Jeremy hung up his call and turned to Aelita, who had just finished calling Yumi and was now on the phone with Odd.

Aelita: We need you there quick. It's time to train our young friends in the Digital Sea. And while you're at it, can you give Ulrich a quick buzz about it?

_Odd: I'm on it Princess!_

Aelita: Great, we'll see you there.

She hung up with Odd and turned to Jeremy. Then, a thought suddenly struck her.

Aelita: What about Maya? What should we tell her?

Jeremy: Tell her that we had to run out somewhere and will be back in about an hour and a half.

Aelita: If you say so.

So as Aelita went upstairs to Maya's room, Jeremy walked outside and got inside his car and waited for Aelita to return. A few moments later, she did return.

Aelita: Good thing the Return to Past works on her to. I told her that we had to make an emergency trip to the store and won't be back for a while.

Jeremy: Well she believe it before, so she'll believe it again. Now let's get a move on.

Starting up the vehicle, the pair left their driveway and drove away towards the factory. After a few minutes of driving, Jeremy and Aelita arrived at the factory. Parking the car on the bridge, the two lovers made their way inside and towards the elevator. Moments after descending down the elevator shaft, they arrived at the Computer Lab, where they saw the 6 young warriors already there.

Jeremy: Great, you guys are all here.

Gary: So what is this training gonna be about sir?

Jeremy: I'll explain everything within moments. For now, you 6 and Aelita head for the scanners. You're going to Sector 5.

Without asking anymore questions, the gang joined Aelita in the elevator, and together the 7 warriors made their way down to the Scanner Room.

* * *

**Lyoko-Sector 5**

Moments later, the 7 warriors were virtualized in the spinning dome of Sector 5.

Gary: Ok...so now can you tell us what we have to do? I thought we did our Sector 5 training.

Jeremy: You did, but you have to go through Sector 5 in order to get to the hanger that holds The Skid. That's what we're going to be using for the Digital Sea training.

Gary: Well that makes sense.

Jeremy: Ok well that's settled. Now Aelita, lead the way.

Aelita: Right. Follow me everyone!

So Aelita led them towards the elevator at the end of the arena. Luckily for them, they didn't have to navigate through an of Sector 5's tricky traps, and soon they arrived at the elevator chamber without a hitch. The warriors suddenly heard the sound of the elevator coming from below them. And sure enough, there it was coming up towards at a rapid rate.

Aelita: Get ready...JUMP!

The 7 warriors jumped and landed safely onto the elevator. As they waited for it to stop, Aelita spoke to the gang.

Aelita: You guys have never seen The Skid have you?

Gang: No.

Aelita: Well, getting ready to see it for yourselves.

The gang grew excited as the elevator came to a stop and a door leading to the hanger opened in front of them. Again leading the way, Aelita took off through the door with the gang in tow and soon arrived at another elevator, this one leading to the top of The Skid's hanger.

Aelita: This is it. Just up here is The Skid.

The gang and Aelita stepped onto the elevator and slowly but surely, the machine ascended to the top of the hanger. Once it stopped, the gang were amazed.

Gang: Wooooooow...

Matthew: That's The Skidbladnir?

Aelita: Yes young Matthew it is. Quite amazing isn't it?

Matthew: Boy I'll say. So are we going to be using that for our training today?

Jeremy: Unfortunately no. The current Skid can only hold up to 5 warriors. That being Aelita and our friends.

Alexis: ...So how are all of us going to fit inside?

Jeremy: You will find out soon enough. We just need to wait for the others.

At that moment, the elevator doors of the factory opened up revealing Ulrich, Odd, Yumi, and William.

William: We're here Jeremy.

Jeremy: Excellent. Head for the scanners, Aelita and the gang are already in the hanger.

Odd: Aye aye Captain!

**A Few Minutes Later**

Jeremy: VIRTUALIZATION!

The last warrior to drop down from above was Ulrich, who landed in between William, Odd, and Yumi.

Jeremy: Now head for the hanger. I got a surprise for you all.

Ulrich: On it Jeremy.

So the last 4 warriors made their way through the arena and towards the elevator. And after heading through the tunnel and entering the hanger, they ascended up to the top where they were disappointed to see that there was no surprise at all. Instead, only Aelita and the gang were there.

Yumi: Hey Jeremy what gives? I thought you said you had a surprise for us.

Jeremy: I did and you're about to witness it for yourselves.

Warriors: Huh?

Odd: Please elaborate for us Einstein.

Jeremy: Stand back everyone. I'm about to launch a new program.

Everyone backed away from The Skid all still looking very confused...except for Aelita who already knew what the surprise was. Jeremy pressed the ENTER key on the keyboard and all of the sudden, The Skid was devirtualized shocking the warriors greatly.

Mariah: Hey what happened?!

Jonah: I thought we were training in the Digital Sea. How can we do that without The Skid?!

Jeremy: Be patient everyone. That wasn't the surprise. THIS is the surprise.

Jeremy pressed the ENTER key again and his program started to run. Suddenly, the hanger began to shake violently, knocking some of the warriors off their feet, but luckily not off the platform. The floor they were all standing on suddenly began to shift backwards. The warriors looked below them to see it and then looked back up to see that the entire room was expanding. A new set of 6 teleportation platforms appeared beside the other 5, and the struts that held The Skid in place were enlarged. Then, the warriors had the shock of their lives. Appearing right in front of them was a brand new Skidbladnir. It was much taller than the old Skid, for it now had 9 NavSkids instead of 4. The old single cockpit was now a double cockpit with even more controls and a large window on both sides of it and the color remained its standard dark grey. The warriors were amazed.

Jeremy: Let me introduce you all to The Skidbladnir 2.0!

Ulrich: Wooooow! When did this all come about?

Jeremy: We all knew that we had to get the young ones trained in the Digital Sea at some point, and since the old one can only hold up to 5, I knew that a few upgrades were needed. So I've been working on The Skid 2.0 since New Years and now, here it is. It can now hold all 11 of you. 9 of which will be in the NavSkids and the other 2 in the new duel cockpit.

Natalie: AWESOME! So who's going to be where?

Aelita: I'm always the one piloting, so that hasn't changed.

Jeremy: But with the new duel cockpit, I've decided that Matthew should join Aelita. The rest of you all man the NavSkids. Any complaints?

Warriors: No sir!

Jeremy: Well let's not waste anymore time. Let's get this training started. Everyone, to your positions!

So the Lyoko veterans took their normal spots on the teleporters, with Aelita in the middle and Odd, Yumi, Ulrich, and William surrounding her. The young warriors ran over to the other side of the hanger where the new teleporters now were. Matthew took the middle spot, while Natalie, Mariah, Gary, Jonah, and Alexis stood on the other 5 spots surrounding him.

Aelita: We're in position!

Jeremy: ENERGIZE!

At that moment, bright white lights surrounded all of the warriors until they disappeared from the teleportation spots and reappeared inside The Skid 2.0. As planned, Matthew and Aelita were at the helm of the ship. Matthew was amazed by what was inside. His side and Aelita's had the same controls and same amount of buttons, knobs, and switches. He saw the main controls in front of him that controlled the speed and direction of the ship. To his left, he had a large map of The Skid that showed the amount of damage taken to it, and to his right was the ship's radar. Aelita had the same controls on her side as well, minus the damage indicators. The rest of the warriors were in their own NavSkids. Ulrich, Odd, Yumi, and William noticed that not much changed from the updates, but were pleased at that because they wouldn't have to worry about learning new things about them. The rest of the gang were in awe at the NavSkids' cockpit. Like the old ones, the NavSkids had the main controls for speed and direction and also the buttons on the controls that fired the torpedoes. They also had their own little radar and damaged indicators that activated themselves when the NavSkids were deployed.

Aelita: Good ahead Matthew, see if you can hear everyone.

Matthew: Uhh...right...umm...which button is it?

Aelita: No button needed, just speak.

Matthew: Oh...well...cockpit to NavSkids, do you read me?

Natalie: Loud and clear Matt!

Jonah: I read ya Matt!

Gary: Got'cha mate!

Mariah: Me too.

Alexis: I can hear ya!

Ulrich: So can I Matthew.

William: And me.

Yumi: I hear you.

Odd: As do I Einstein Jr!

Matthew: Radio's are in check Mrs. Belpois.

Aelita: Great. Activating shields! Press the blue square button on your right arm rest.

Matthew: Right. Activating shields!

Just then, the damage indicator of Matthew's left side turned green, meaning the shields were active.

Aelita: Ok now look to see if the radar is working.

Matthew: Uhhh...yes ma'am!

Aelita: All systems online Jeremy! Ready for liftoff!

Jeremy: Roger that. Releasing struts!

The support struts pulled away from the Skid and Matthew and Aelita placed their hands on the thrusters.

Aelita: Ready Matthew?

Matthew: Heh heh I'm ready!

Aelita &amp; Matthew: LIFTOFF!

Pulling back on the thrusters, The Skid 2.0 took off out of the hanger and into the Celestial Dome.

Jeremy: Tunnel is open. You are clear to exit.

Together, Aelita and Matthew guided the Skid out towards the open tunnel and within moments, they were floating above the Desert Sector.

Aelita: Ok, when I say "dive" release the thrusters and let the Skid fall.

Matthew: *gulp* ...I hope this works.

Aelita: Prepare to dive everyone. Time to resume Code: Training. In 3...2...1...DIVE!

Aelita and Matthew released the thrusters and the Skid plummeted out of the sky and splashed into the Digital Sea. Moments later, the gates to Lyoko opened up and for the first time in the young warrior's lives, they were in the Digital Sea.

Gang: Wooooow...

Matthew: Amazing.

Natalie: Absolutely beautiful.

Aelita: I'm glad you're all finding the view stunning, but now isn't time for sight seeing. ROTATION!

Aelita pulled the lever beside her and the Skid rotated 90 degrees to her side.

Aelita: Just to let you know Matthew, the lever beside you will rotate the Skid to your side. And because it's over on my end, your controls are currently deactivated except for the damaged indicators and the radar. Only when the Skid is pointing off of your side will your controls be active and mine won't. Make sense?

Matthew: Aye aye!

Aelita: Good. You'll get your chance on the way back. For now, let's go!

Pushing the lever further forward, Aelita activated the engines and The Skid 2.0 set sail. However...there was a problem on the horizon.

* * *

**Lyoko-Unknown Location**

Unbeknownst to the warriors, XANA was watching their every move. He saw that they were now in the Digital Sea and were now setting sail. Smirking to himself, he looked at a program that had been running the whole time during this. The program had an image of not one, not two, but three monsters. One of which was aa very long monster, much longer than the Kalamar. The second was much smaller and looked to have a rounded shell on it. The third was about the size of a NavSkid and looked to have a very spiky back and claws.

XANA: Finally, they're in the Digital Sea. Time to launch my newest creations. Let's how you pathetic warriors handle these monsters.

When the program stopped running, XANA tapped a button and suddenly, the monsters were being virtualized. The warriors had no idea what was about to come their way.

* * *

**Digital Sea**

Once the warriors were far enough away from Lyoko, Aelita thought that it was the ideal time to start training.

Aelita: Ok young ones, I'm going to release your NavSkids. Be sure to stay together while I give the instructions through the radio. Is that clear?

Gang: Yes ma'am!

Matthew: Hang on, what about me?

Aelita: You have an important job in controlling the Skid. You'll get that chance once your friends have finished.

Matthew: Oh alright then. Carry on!

Aelita: Releasing NavSkids!

Pulling 5 of the 11 levers down, the gang's NavSkids detached from the main ship and floated freely.

Aelita: Now, to get yourselves moving, all you have to do is push both throttle levers in front of you forward. To slow yourselves down, just pull them back. And to steer, simply twist both levers in the direction where you want to go. Easy as that.

Mariah: Sure sounds like it. LET'S GO!

And Mariah shoved her throttle levers as far forward as they could go, and shot off into the distance, catching her friends off guard.

Natalie: Mariah, wait up! We need to stay together, remember?

Mariah: Oops...heh heh sorry!

So Mariah slowed down and waited for her friends to catch up, which they did moments later.

Aelita: Now then, look to your right. There should be a large red lever beside you.

The gang looked to their right and sure enough, there was a red lever.

Gang: Found it!

Jonah: What is it?

Aelita: That is the Turbo Boost. When you're trying to catch up to something, or trying to outrun something, and you need a little extra speed, the Turbo Boost can help with that. All you have to do is push it forward and off you go.

Jonah: Sweet! Let's give it a try.

Aelita: NO DON'T! The Turbo Boost has a limited fuel supply. It can only last for about 90 seconds before running itself dry. Only use it when you REALLY need it.

Jonah: Whew! Thanks for the warning. So what else is there?

Aelita: The torpedoes.

Gary: Ooooooh. I like the sound of that. How do you fire them?

Aelita: First, you must use the targeter that's on your screen in front of you to lock onto your target. Once you do that, you then press the small red button that is on the right side lever, and it'll fire 2 torpedoes, one from each side. But don't use them. Each NavSkid has a limited number of 20 torpedoes, 10 on each side. As with the Turbo Boost, don't use them unless you have to.

Gary: Alright, what's next?

Aelita: That pretty much covers the basics of the NavSkids. So as long as you all stay together, I will allow you all some extra time to get use to them before we bring you back in.

Gary: Alright, let's do it!

Staying together as they were told, the gang continued to speed along through the Digital Sea, without using their Turbo Boost, or their torpedoes, or trying not to crash into the upside down buildings that surrounded them. They eventually turned themselves around and raced past the Skid, waving to everyone that was inside. Everything was going according to plan and they were having a great time.

Jonah: WOO-HOO! Best training session ever!

Natalie: I know! And what's even better, is that there's no new XANA monsters.

Alexis: Natalie's right. No sign of any monsters. I like it that way.

But sadly, the gang was about to be proven wrong. Suddenly, the blue lighting of the Digital Sea turned to a bloody red.

Gary: Woah...what happened to the Digital Sea?

Jonah: I don't know, but this is getting weird.

The gang weren't the only ones who noticed the change. Everyone at the Skid had witnessed the sea change color. Matthew was confused, but the old warriors had a feeling that something bad was about to happen. Further away from the Skid, the gang's radars suddenly went off. Looking down at them, they noticed that three objects were heading their way. Peering out the windows, they could see what the objects were. And they didn't look friendly. In fact, they looked downright terrifying.

Gary: OH CRIKEY! WHAT THE HECK ARE THOSE?!

Natalie: I don't know, but I rather not find out. RUN FOR IT!

Turning around quickly, the gang raced away back towards the Skid with the strange objects hot on their tails. Back over at the Skid...

Natalie: *over radio* MAYDAY! MAYDAY! We're in trouble.

Aelita: Natalie, what's going on?

Natalie: All of the sudden, the Digital Sea changed from blue to red and now there's these 3 strange objects chasing after us.

Aelita suddenly grew concerned, as did the rest of the warriors. Suddenly, Matthew's radar began to go off. He looked down and saw 8 dots on it. He concluded that the 5 dots closest to the center of the radar were his friends, but he didn't know what the other 3 dots were. Then suddenly, he remembered something.

Matthew: _(to himself) Hang on, when we did our solo mission, XANA sent us the Tigers. And when we did our Tag Team training, he sent us the Sheilders. When we did our group training, he sent us the Mantis. Now we're doing our Digital Sea training, so that must be._ Oh no no NO!

Aelita: What's going on Matthew?

Matthew didn't answer. He pulled down his goggles and for the first time, he activated the binocular function and looked out of the window. He could see his friends running away from something. He peered out further and could see what they were running from.

Matthew: HOLY COW! WHAT ARE THOSE?!

Aelita: What are what?!

Matthew saw 3 new monsters chasing after his friends. One of them looked like an Alligator. It was about the same size of a NavSkid and had a dark greenish color to it, but had large razor sharp spikes on its back, large thick claws, and had XANA's Eye on in its mouth, just like the Tigers. The second monster was slightly larger than the Alligator monster but about half the size of the Shark monster, except this one was in the shape of a Sea Turtle. It had a large and thick brown and black shell on it, and had a white Eye of XANA on its green head. On the bottom of its shell, that was a large door hatch that looked like could open. The last monster was the biggest out of all three. It was at least twice as long as the Kalamar monster and had a deep dark blue color to it. The monster was in the shape of a whale and had 3 XANA Eyes on its back. The only problem was, the eyes were guarded off by a large scaly type of armor. Suddenly, the alligator monster swiped its claws and 6 spikes came shooting out of them. 5 of the 6 spikes collided with each of the gang's NavSkids, causing considerable damage, while the last spike just nearly missed hitting the main Skid. Matthew could see that the spikes were regenerating on the alligator quite rapidly. Then, the Turtle fired its laser out of its mouth, however it missed hitting the gang's NavSkids. Then, the hatch at the bottom of its shell opened up and out came its torpedo launcher. It fired 3 torpedoes but the gang were able to just miss them, despite their earlier damage. Then, it was the whale monster's turn. It opened it giant mouth and inside were 4 torpedo launchers. Compared to the alligator's and turtle's torpedoes, these were much stronger. The 4 torpedoes struck Gary's, Natalie's, Jonah's, and Mariah's NavSkids causing even more serious damage, to the point that their NavSkids were about to fall apart. Matthew had been watching the whole thing play out and couldn't believe what he was seeing. He finally found his voice.

Matthew: XANA's at it again. He sent 3 new monsters our way and they're attacking my friends!

Warriors: WHAT?!

Ulrich: What are they?!

Matthew: I'm getting an analysis right now, but my friends are in trouble. Their NavSkids are damaged and they don't look like they can last much longer!

Goggles: *computer voice* Analyzing monsters.

Aelita: Battle stations everyone! You're all going in! Releasing!

Aelita pulled down the other 5 levers and the Lyoko Veterans detached themselves from the ship and raced away to fight the new monsters.

Aelita: Gary, Natalie, Mariah, Alexis, and Jonah, get out of there and come back now! We can't risk losing you all in the Digital Sea.

Gary: I rather not think about that. I'm out of here!

Gang: Us to!

The gang remembered their Turbo Boost and how they were supposed to use in when needed. Well...they needed it now, so they pushed it forward and the gang raced away back to The Skid, just as the old warriors arrived on the scene. The gang made it back to The Skid without further incident and Aelita immediately reattached them to the hull.

Aelita: Matthew, time for you to take over. Pull the lever to your right to rotate the Skid to your side.

Matthew: Right. Rotation!

The Skid rotated 180 degrees until it was on Matthew's side of the cockpit. At that moment, all of the controls on his side were reactivated. He grabbed a hold of the thrusters and raced away to help the old warriors. Meanwhile, the old warriors weren't having any luck at all. They tried to shoot down the Alligator monster, but it was way too quick in reacting and dodged all of their torpedoes. The turtle monster kept pulling its head back into its shell for protection and the shell was much too thick to even take damage. The whale monster had too many XANA Eyes on its back and the scaly armor covering it was much stronger than they thought. They were getting nowhere fast and desperately wanted out.

William: We can't do this! They're too strong!

Odd: They got us beat by a long shot!

Yumi: We need the Skid over here now!

Matthew: We're here everyone! Recovering!

Matthew pulled the NavSkids back onto the Skid and quickly raced away from the monsters and back towards Lyoko...with the help from Aelita of course. As they left, XANA couldn't help but laugh evilly at his success.

XANA: HA HA! Now those warriors will think twice before they decide to enter my world.

Back over on The Skid...

Goggles: *computer voice* Analysis complete. Sending to mainframe.

Jeremy: I got your analysis Matthew. I'll show you all the results when you get back.

Natalie: What the heck was all that about?!

Mariah: If you ask me, I don't think XANA wanted us in the Digital Sea. But why?

Yumi: Isn't it obvious? XANA's world is in the Digital Sea. He must have made those monsters to keep us from getting to his world.

Matthew: Well if that's the case, then he is a bigger fool than I thought. He sent us new monster before and we've all shown him that we could take them down. We can do the same with these behemoths. All we need to do is figure out their weaknesses.

Ulrich: I like this kid's confidence.

Matthew: Thanks Coach. Hey look it's Lyoko.

And it was. Lyoko was in sight, and with the help from Aelita, Matthew piloted the Skid back to its vertical position and pulled it back out of the Digital Sea and into the hanger of Sector 5.

* * *

**Abandoned Factory-Computer Lab**

After Jeremy brought everyone back to Earth, they warriors gathered around him to see what the results of the analysis were.

Jeremy: I'm not liking where this is going right now. According to the analysis, those 3 new monsters are called The Whale, The Turtlizer, and The Gator. Quite fitting names. The Whale is at least twice as long as the Kalamar and has at least 300 lifepoints, as well as 3 XANA eyes. Each eye has 100 lifepoints and each eye must be hit in order to destroy it. The only problem is that the eyes are covered with scaly armor that must be broken in order for the eyes to be hit. The number of lifepoints on the armor is unknown, so just hit it as much as you can. As far as attacking, The Whale has 4 torpedo launchers inside its mouth that can fire 4 torpedoes at once. If either the NavSkids or Skid is hit, it will do a whopping 100 lifepoints of damage, so be careful.

Odd: Easy for you to say.

Jeremy: Now for the Turtlizer, it slightly smaller than the Shark monster, but has more lifepoints due to its incredibly strong shell. The shell alone has 500 lifepoints and the Turtlizer can use it to protect its head from getting hit, because that's where the XANA eye is. Its attack methods include firing a laser out of its mouth and firing 2 torpedoes at once out of a torpedo launcher that is deployed from the bottom of the shell.

Gary: ...Great...

Jeremy: Now for the Gator. The Gator is about the same size as one NavSkid and has 250 lifepoints. It's attack methods are simply shooting is razor sharp spikes out of its claws as well as its back. The spikes can do up to 80 lifepoints of damage. Now there is a down side, the Gator is destroyed the same way as the Tiger for the Eye of XANA is inside its mouth.

Natalie: As if the Tigers weren't a nightmare already.

Jeremy: So there you have it. 3 new monsters that XANA has created. And by the looks of it, he busting out the biggest of big guns now.

Matthew: Ya don't say.

Jeremy: You all are going to have to be extremely careful for when we next go into the Digital Sea or for when it's time to go to XANA's world.

Yumi: That reminds me, any luck on cracking XANA's security code.

Jeremy: I haven't really gotten to that lately. With everything that has happened since we found XANA's world, I guess I've been slacking a bit on that. But I'll get back to it as soon as I can.

Natalie: So...what are we supposed to do now?

Jeremy: With all of your Lyoko training now complete, it's just business as usual for now.

Agreeing to that, the 11 warriors walked inside the old elevator and ascended back to the top floor. The gang went back towards Kadic while the rest of the warriors headed back to their homes, exhausted from a very tough day of training.

* * *

**Well here it is, the final Lyoko Training for our young heroes. Tell me, what did you all think of the training? Did you like the new monsters that were put in? I hope you did, cause the Turtlizer and the Gator were pokemonking0924's idea while the Whale was my idea. Again, I hope you all enjoyed this latest installment of New Youth. You all should know the drill by now as far reviewing, favoriting, and following. So I'm going to leave it at that.**

**Thanks again for reading and enjoying! Chapter 46 will come by soon. Until then, as always, FakeACU83 OUT!**


	46. Chemical Reaction

_**Chapter 46: Chemical Reaction**_

**5 Days Later**

**Wednesday-April**

After the warriors had finished with all of their Lyoko training, Jeremy dismissed them with the message of staying on the alert. And that's what the gang did for the last few days. Spring Break had ended on Sunday and all classes had resumed that following Monday. Everything was as normal as could be and now the month of April had arrived. All of the students were excited that April was finally among them. The reason being is that the school's annual Prom was now just 3 and a half weeks away and although there was that much time until then, nearly all of the students that were planning on going were already trying to find dates to would go with them. Some of which came away with absolute joy and elation, while others walked away sad and depressed. The gang on the other hand already knew who they were going with for Prom and they were discussing the very topic at Lunch.

Matthew: I'll be taking Natalie with me.

Jonah: And I'm taking Mariah.

Gary: And Alexis is going with me. So we'll all be hanging out together at the Prom this year.

The boys high-fived each other while their girlfriends giggled beside them. Just then, a thought stuck Natalie.

Natalie: Hey Matt, didn't your new team have a race this past Sunday?

Matthew's face suddenly fell.

Matthew: Ugh...don't even remind me of that.

Natalie: Hmm? Why not?

Matthew: They had a horrible race at Malaysia. Seb started 15th and Aaron started 20th out of 22 cars and around Lap 9, they got caught up in a crash that happened in front of them and they were forced out of the race.

Natalie: Oh dear. Are they both ok?

Matthew: Yeah they're fine. The only thing that they said was hurting them was their tempers. They were not happy at all and neither was I. The Ferrari team ended up winning the race over the Mercedes team. I hope the next race at China next week will be much better than the last race.

The gang could only agree. They soon went back to talking about the upcoming Prom. Meanwhile, at a nearby table, Stephanie was sitting by herself, but she distraught. Ever since Matthew yelled at her in her face on Valentines Day while she tried to win him over, she had been extremely quiet, talking to nobody, and not even daring herself to go near Matthew or the gang. She started having second thoughts about her actions.

Stephanie: _(to herself) That wasn't what I wanted to happen. I thought I could win Matthew over and I thought Brandon could help me. But, it all turned out wrong. I know now that Matthew loves Natalie with all his heart and that I was stupid to not realize it in the first place. *sigh* I know I should apologize to him, but everytime I try, I get scared at what might happen next. I'll say sorry to him...but how do I go about it?_

Over at another table, Brandon was sitting by himself to. And like Stephanie, he to was starting to have second thoughts about what he did on Valentines Day.

Brandon: _Maybe trying to break Matt and Nat up wasn't such a good idea after all. Maybe I'm taking this whole thing with trying to get Natalie back a little too far._

Suddenly, the memory flashbacks came back and rushed through Brandon's head. Groaning with pain at the sudden headache, Brandon tried to push the memories out of his mind, but to no avail.

* * *

_**Brandon's Flasback**_

_Zoo Keeper: You all might find this crazy, but I saw that the eyes were a bright red color and they had a strange symbol in the middle of their eyes, almost like they were possessed or something._

_All: XANA._

_Brandon: What are you morons talking about? Who is this XANA?_

_00000000_

_Brandon: Alright, spit it out._

_Matthew: Well you see, those animals are being possessed by a computer virus called XANA and its up to us to go to the old factory and stop him._

_Brandon: A evil computer virus possessing the animals? HA!_

_00000000_

_Matthew:__ What are you doing here?_

_Brandon:__ I'm here to help you. Look, I don't know what those things are and what they're doing here, but if you guys know something about how to take them out, then I'm willing to put my differences between you and me aside and help you Matt._

_Matthew:__ Ok Brandon, I'm willing to put my differences between us aside as well._

_00000000_

_Matthew:__ They did it._

_Brandon:__ Who did what?_

_Matthew:__ Sorry Brandon, but you won't remember any of this is a second._

_Brandon:__ What do you mean?_

* * *

**Present Time**

Brandon: What the heck is going on with me? Why am I getting these visions and what do they mean?

Before he could think of a reason, the school bell rang meaning Lunchtime was over and it was time to head back to class. All of the students filed out of the cafeteria and towards their next class. About an hour away from the campus and on the outskirts of Paris, lies a massive chemical science laboratory. This lab was a part of the local University that was about a mile away. It's where students and scientists work with many different types of chemicals to either make clean and renewable fuel sources, new organic materials, or bio-medical compounds to name a few. The staff have to be very careful when using these type of chemicals. Even though they're trying to help the environment, they sometimes still use hazardous materials. The hazard chemical usage is located on the far east side of the complex. Everything was normal, with the staff hard at work carefully handling the materials. However, they were unaware of the danger lurking within the lab's electrical system.

* * *

**Lyoko-Mountain Sector**

If you haven't figured it out already, XANA was on the offense once again. One of the towers in the Mountain Sector became activated, while back at the chemical lab the students and staff had stopped what they were doing and headed off for their lunch. This was the moment of opportunity for XANA to strike. When the room was completely empty, a lone electrical outlet burst out a few sparks and out came XANA's specter. The specter made its way over to where the staff had left vile upon viles of acid and other types of hazardous chemicals. Suddenly, the specter knocked them all to the floor and the chemicals started mixing together, causing an uncontrollable reaction. The mixed chemicals started to fizz and smoke, but stopped after a moment when they looked like they were condensing into one gooey matter. At that moment, XANA's specter mixed in with the substance and again, the mixture began to fizz and smoke and eventually began melting the floor and everything around it. The mixture began to grow taller. It didn't have the form of a regular human being. Instead, it just looked like a gloopy acid monster with XANA's eye planted up on the head and an acid mouth below it as well as 2 giant arms forming out of the strange mixture. With the smoke coming off of the new chemical monster, it set off an alarm alerting the students and staff within the complex to evacuate immediately in case of a chemical spillage or fire. Everyone raced out of the building but began talking amongst themselves as to what the situation was as far as the evacuation. Back in the hazard room, the chemical monster began to grow even taller and bigger. It soon touched the ceiling of the room and began to push its way through the melting ceiling and pretty soon grew tall enough to bust its way through the roof of the facility. The students and staff gasped in horror as the chemical monster gave a loud roar and began moving towards the staff. Everyone ran for their lives, trying to avoid getting dissolved by the strange being. But the monster didn't chase after them. Instead, it headed out of Paris and towards the suburbs of Boulonge-Billiancourt.

Over at the Belpois Residence, Aelita was at home alone while Jeremy was teaching his class over at Kadic and Maya was at her Elementary School. The day was going by very slowly for Aelita and she soon grew bored. She tried passing the time by watching TV, reading a book, or checking her music ratings on the web. But still, she was bored and wanted a little excitement to happen today. Although she didn't know it at the time, but she was about to get that excitement, but not the way she had hoped. She was flipping through channel after channel on her TV but couldn't find anything to watch at all.

Aelita: *groan* Man, can't this day just end already?

Aelita was starting to get more impatient rather than bored as she continued searching through the channels. Suddenly, all of the channels were switched over to the NEWS channel and it was Breaking NEWS. She saw the look of absolute fear on the NEWS anchor's face and grew interested as she turned up the volume.

NEWS Anchor: Breaking NEWS out of Boulonge-Billancourt. A bizarre and very frightening situation taking place as we speak. A large gloopy monster is ravaging through the city, destroying absolutely everything in its way.

Aelita gasped as the NEWS showed a LIVE picture of the chemical monster raging through the city.

NEWS Anchor: This monster looks to be made up of some sort of unknown chemical mixture as it appears to be melting all infrastructures around it. It has been raging through the city for the past few minutes now and appears to be heading for suburbs just south from the city where a small populated town resides as well as the private school known as Kadic Academy.

The NEWS then showed a picture of Kadic as well as the town it had mentioned. Aelita gasped in horror as she recognized the town. It was the town that she and Jeremy lived in. Aelita then put 2 and 2 together.

Aelita: XANA! I gotta warn Jeremy.

Fumbling for her cell phone she quickly dialed Jeremy's number while watching out for the chemical menace. Jeremy was sitting in his Computer Science classroom alone. It was nearing the end of another school day and Jeremy, as well as the other students were looking forward to wrapping up the day. He was in the middle of his 5th class of the day and had his students practicing some advanced programming techniques together in groups of 3. While his students worked, Jeremy was on his laptop again working on the materialization program for Franz Hopper. Unlike Aelita's materialization program, Hopper's was a bit more complicated. Because he doesn't take a shape of a Lyoko Warrior, Jeremy had to make a whole new customized program to try and bring the Lyoko Creator back to Earth. He made a bit of progress and had Aelita help him at times, but he still had a long way to go. He thought that he could make a bit more progress while his students were working, but unfortunately throughout the whole day, he barely made a dent. Suddenly, his laptop sounded the XANA alarm as he saw a tower had been activated.

Jeremy: _(to himself) Oh no, not now!_

Before he could find out what XANA was up to, his cell phone rang in his pocket. The ringtone was loud enough for the students to hear as he pulled his phone out.

Jeremy: Keep working everyone. I just need to take this call.

The students went back to work as Jeremy looked at the number and saw that it was Aelita.

Jeremy: Aeltia?

_Aelita: Jeremy, I'm in trouble! XANA's attacking again!_

Jeremy: I just found out from my laptop. What's going on?

_Aelita: He created a giant chemical monster that's melting everything around it and it's heading my way. I'm afraid that if it finishes me off, then it'll head over to Kadic and go after you, Ulrich, and the young gang. And then most likely go for Yumi, Odd, and William next!_

Suddenly, Aelita heard the creaking and groaning sound of the roof above her. She looked up and saw that it was melting away. Through the large hole that had opened up above her, she gasped in horror as the chemical monster stared down at her.

_Aelita: AHHHHHHHHHH!_

Jeremy: Aelita...AELITA!

Aelita: JEREMY, HELP!

Without thinking about his students, Jeremy jumped out of his seat and raced out of his classroom and towards the parking lot. He jumped in his car and drove away to help his wife. Meanwhile, back over at Kadic, Matthew and Alexis were in their 5th class of 6 which was their Foreign Language Class, which today they were practicing the German Language. They were sitting right next to each other writing down various phrases in German, when suddenly they both heard the XANA alert go off from Matthew's laptop. Luckily for them, it wasn't loud enough for the teacher or the other students to hear it. Making sure that the teacher wasn't looking at them, Matthew carefully brought out his laptop and saw that XANA was on the move again. He turned to Alexis and nodded before putting his computer back into his bag. Matthew began to act out having a severe headache and the teacher noticed.

Teacher: Matthew, bist du in Ordnung? (Matthew, are you alright?)

Matthew stood up and used what German knowledge he knew to respond.

Matthew: Ich habe eine schlechte Kopfschmerzen Sir. Darf ich Sie auf die Krankenstation zu gehen? (I have a bad headache sir. May I please go to the infirmary?)

Teacher: Natürlich. Alexis, können Sie ihn dort? (Of course. Alexis, can you take him there?)

Alexis seemed to understand what the teacher was asking her as she nodded in agreement. She stood up and "guided" Matthew out into the hallway while the teacher continued the lesson. Once the two warriors were out of earshot, they quickly snuck out into the park and over towards the manhole leading to the sewers.

Alexis: What's the attack now?

Before she could get an answer, Matthew's phone rang in his pocket. It was Jeremy.

Matthew: Mr. Belpois?

_Jeremy: Matthew, you and your friends need to get to Lyoko now! XANA has created a giant chemical monster that is destroying the city and is currently destroying the town that myself and Aelita live in! And I fear that Kadic is its next target! I can't be there to help you, I have to help my wife. So it's up to you and your friends to stop XANA's attack._

Matthew: We'll try sir, but what about Coach Ulrich, and everyone else inside the school?

_Jeremy: You're going to have to warn them quick!_

With that Jeremy hung up his call as he grew closer to his home. Matthew put his phone back into his pocket and turned to Alexis.

Matthew: You go back to Kadic and warn Coach Ulrich about the attack and help him get everyone out of the campus. Once you do that, you and everyone else meet me back at the factory. I'll head over there and try to locate the activated tower.

Alexis: Got it.

Matthew: Be careful.

Alexis: I will. Now go!

As the pair split off in their separate directions, they had no idea that the situation was about to go from bad to worse. Further away from Kadic, Jeremy was just about a mile away from his home when all of the sudden, he saw the monster coming towards chasing after...

Jeremy: AELITA!

Jeremy screeched to a stop as Aelita jumped into the passenger side of the car.

Aelita: Quick, let's get out of here!

Without needing to be told twice, Jeremy spun the car around and took off down the road once again with the chemical monster in hot pursuit. But the monster wasn't gaining much ground on the two geniuses and it soon came to a complete stop, to which Aelita noticed.

Aelita: Jeremy, the monster stopped chasing us.

Jeremy stopped the car and looked behind him to see that in fact the monster had stopped coming after them. Then something strange happened. The monster began to grow wider until suddenly, a second chemical monster emerged out of the side followed by a third forming shortly after. The two warriors couldn't believe what they were seeing as one of the monsters heading off towards the countryside of the city while the other headed for Kadic.

Aelita: I know one of them is heading to Kadic, but where's the other one going?

Jeremy suddenly had a bad feeling.

Jeremy: Aelita...where are Yumi, Odd, and William?

Aelita: Yumi told me this morning that she and Odd were gonna hang out at...

Aelita stopped herself as she realize what Jeremy meant.

Aelita: Oh my gosh! The monster's heading for William's house! We have to warn them.

Jeremy: I don't think we can, because we have our own problems to deal with! LOOK!

Aelita turned around and saw that the third chemical monster was coming towards them again.

Aelita: Quick, DRIVE!

Jeremy floored it and drove away once again while Aelita fumbled for her phone and dialed Yumi's number.

_Yumi: Hello?_

Aelita: Yumi, you guys have to get out of William's house! XANA's created three chemical monsters that melts everything it touches and one of them is heading your way!

There was a sudden moment of silence on the other end of the line which made Aelita even more worried.

Aelita: Yumi...YUMI! Are you there?!

_Yumi: ...Oh no._

Aelita: Yumi?

_Yumi: It's too late...it's already here._

And she was right. The monster had already reached William's countryside house and had already melted away the roof of the building.

_Yumi: Sorry Aelita, but we're about to run for our lives._

She hung up the call after that and turned to Odd and William.

Yumi: you guys thinking what I'm thinking?

William: I think so...

Odd: Me too...RUN FOR IT!

The three warriors scrambled out of the back door and raced around the monster running down the long country road. Back in the city...

Aelita: The monster found them already.

Jeremy: That only leaves Kadic now. This isn't good, this is not good at all.

He was right to be worried. Back over at Kadic, Alexis had made it back to the campus and burst in through the back doors of the gym, startling Ulich who had just finished his 5th gym class of the day and was waiting for his students to exit the locker room.

Ulrich: Alexis, what is the meaning of this?

Alexis: XANA that's what! He created a giant chemical monster and it's melting away the whole city and is most likely coming here next. We gotta get everyone out of here before it's too late.

Ulrich grew concerned instantly, but before he could do anything else, the ceiling above them started to erode away. The two warriors looked up and gasped in horror as they could hear the other students from the locker room as well as the rest of the campus screaming in fear.

Ulrich: Uh...oh...

Alexis: I hope you don't mind me saying this but...HEEELP!

* * *

**Abandoned Factory-Computer Room**

Matthew: Okay, where are you now XANA?

Matthew tapped away at the keyboard trying to find the activated tower, which a few moments later...

Matthew: Bingo! There you are, in the Mountain Sector this time. Good thing to, cause I rather not deal with your three new Digital Sea monsters today. Now I just need to wait until everyone else gets here.

But that wasn't going to be the case at all. Matthew's phone rang in his pocket again. It was Jeremy.

Matthew: Mr. Belpois?

_Jeremy: This is bad Matthew! The chemical monster has just multiplied itself. It made two more copies of itself and one of them is after our friends and the other is heading towards Kadic._

Just then, Matthew was receiving another call on his phone. This time, it was Alexis.

Matthew: Hang on sir, Alexis is calling me now.

He put his call with Jeremy on hold and spoke to Alexis.

Matthew: What's happening?

_Alexis: XANA's happening! The monster is already at Kadic! We're all trapped here!_

Matthew's face turned pale. One of the monster was already chasing Jeremy and Aelita, while another was after Yumi, Odd, and William, and the last was terrorizing Kadic. Realization hit him at that point.

Matthew: _(to himself) It's just me left._ Alexis, just stay clam and try your best to either outrun that monster or try and defeat it.

_Alexis: It won't be easy, but we'll try._

Alexis hung up her call and Matthew resumed Jeremy's call.

Matthew: Bad news Mr. Belpois, the monster is already at Kadic. I'm the only one at the factory.

_Jeremy: Well then, we're counting on you to stop this madness._

Matthew: I'll do my best.

With that, Matthew hung up the call and turned to face the screen.

Matthew: You really screwed us over this time XANA. But even though it's just me left, I will stop you.

Matthew typed in the coordinates of his virtualization and summoned his OverRacer moments later. Then he started up the self-virtualization program and hurried to the scanner room. He made it down just in time because as soon as he stepped into one of the scanners, the virtualization program kicked into gear and sent him to Lyoko.

* * *

**Lyoko-Mountain Sector**

A moment later, Matthew dropped down from above into the virtual Mountain Sector conveniently beside his OverRacer. He looked at his new and improved Lyoko outfit and and remembered something.

Matthew: This'll be the first time I get to use my new abilities in battle. Also, the first time for me to deactivate a tower.

But Matthew pushed those thoughts out of his head as he hopped into his vehicle.

Matthew: The tower is Southeast from here. I better hurry!

So Matthew took off towards the Southeastern part of the sector, that hopefully would lead him to the activated tower. Meanwhile back in the France's countryside, William, Odd, and Yumi were running as fast as they could to try and get away from one of the three chemical monsters. They had gained a lot of ground on it, but were started to get very tired. Just then, Odd noticed something.

Odd: Guys...over there!

In the distance was an old and abandoned shed, nestled away from the rocky road and nearly covered by the trees.

Odd: We can hide in there for the time being.

William: I'm agreeing with Odd for once.

So the three warriors quickly went towards the shed and hid inside, not daring to make a single sound. They saw through some of the holes in the building, the monster move on by. It seemed confused as to where they went. It continued on further up the road in search for them. The three warriors breathed a sigh of relief as the monster moved away from their hiding spot. The decided to stay hidden until the attack was over, but how long could that be, they all thought. Over at Kadic, Alexis, Ulrich, and everyone else decided not to face the monster, but instead to hightail themselves out of there. However, the monster only zeroed in on Ulrich and the gang, who eventually caught up with each other while running for their lives. They tired to think of ways to take the monster out, but they were too busy running away, trying to avoid getting melted to nothing. Back on the streets of the city, Aelita and Jeremy were darting in and out of turns trying to outrun and outsmart the monster. But the monster was very taller and could easily see their car from above No matter how hard they tried, they couldn't see to give the monster the slip. Things were going downhill for the warriors and fast. Back over on Lyoko, Matthew was still on the path leading towards the activated tower.

Matthew: Won't be long now. All I need to do is just hope that XANA doesn't know I'm here.

Unfortunatly...

XANA: Oh, I know you're there young Matthew.

XANA was looking at Matthew through his red interface in his hideaway tower.

XANA: I must say, I'm quite impressed with his ability to strive forward. However, it won't be enough to stop me!

XANA activated a virtualization program and sat back to enjoy the show. Meanwhile, Matthew could finally see the activated tower.

Matthew: HA HA! Take that XANA! OOF!

Suddenly, his OverRacer got shot by a powerful laser from above. It devirtualized instantly and Matthew skidded to a stop along the ground. He didn't lose any lifepoints, luckily for him. He brought out both of his 2 hammers from their holders and turned around to see 1 Manta, 1 Shielder, and 1 Mantis.

Matthew: Huh? I thought you Mantis' only spawn in the Forest Region. Oh well, no time to think about that now.

Matthew charged in and started attacking the monsters. He went after the Manta first, thinking that the less air support the monsters had, the better. The Shielder fired multiple lasers at him, while the Mantis could only fire one X-shaped laser at a time before recharging. Using this to his advantage, Matthew raced forward and jumped up and landing on the Shielder's head, before using it to give him an extra jump boost to shoot up into the air and slammed one of his hammers straight into the Manta's eye, destroying it. Just as he dropped back down to the ground, the Shielder fired a few shots at him, one of which hit him in the back. Because the Shielder's laser were so powerful, Matthew lost 80 lifepoints and now only had 20 left. Groaning in pain, he stood back on his feet now even more angry.

Matthew: I LIKE TO SEE YOU DO THAT AGAIN!

The Shielder heard him taunting it and began to fire again. This time, Matthew was quick to evade the shots and hid behind a nearby rock. He focused his energy on his 2 hammers and once they started glowing white, he came out of hiding. The Shielder started firing again but didn't hit Matthew at all. Matthew saw his chance.

Matthew: LIGHTNING!

Before the Shielder could activate its shields for protection, Matthew's Lightning ability struck the monster from above, destroying it as well.

Matthew: Now, where's the Mantis.

He looked around, but didn't see the Mantis. But Matthew knew better. Using his enhanced hearing senses, he focused hard on finding the Mantis. Just then, he heard a faint buzzing noise behind him, and it was getting closer. Matthew knew right then and there, that the Mantis was trying to sneak attack him, but he had something up his sleeve.

Matthew: Time to try out my new Electro Slash power.

He remembered in Franz Hopper's message that he can transform his 2 hammers into one giant sword, and the sword uses his Electro Slash. Banging his hammer heads together, he focused hard on transforming his weapons, while the Mantis was coming in closer. At that moment, Matthew felt his 2 handles change into one and felt his weapon get slightly heavier. When he opened his eyes, he saw that his 2 hammers were now one giant sword that was similar to William's. The Mantis then stopped flying and dropped to the ground behind Matthew. It was thinking that he was unaware of its presence and it began to charge up its X-shaped laser. However, Matthew knew it was there and focused his energy on his sword for the first time until it too started glowing white. Just as the Mantis was about fire, Matthew eyes shot open and he turned around swinging his sword with all of his might.

Matthew: ELECTRO SLASH!

As soon as he swung his sword, a giant lightning slash shot out of it and sliced the Mantis clean in half, destroying it with ease. XANA could not believe it.

XANA: WHAT?! BUT HOW!? HOW WAS HE ABLE TO SUMMON THOSE POWERS AND WHERE DID HE GET THEM FROM?!

Matthew summoned his hammers once again and placed them back into their holders.

Matthew: You lose again XANA!

He then turned around and sprinted away towards the tower. But XANA wasn't ready to give up yet.

XANA: He may have destroyed my monsters, but he will not be able to destroy this.

He activated another virtualization program, except this one had the image of a Lyoko Warrior. One that Matthew had seen before. Matthew was now getting ready to enter the tower, when suddenly he heard a female demonic voice behind him.

?: WIND SLASH!

He was toppled to the ground by a sudden gust of wind. With confusion written all over his face, he jumped back up and turned around to see who it was. He gasped at the sight. Standing in front of him, with her twin blades out, was a XANAfied Clone of Natalie.

Matthew: NATALIE?! But...but I can't fight her. She's my girlfriend.

XANA Natalie: Was your girlfriend, but not anymore.

Matthew suddenly thought back to the time when he was in his simulation bubble. He remembered the way that the phony Natalie acted towards him. She would never do that to him in real life.

Matthew: You're not the real Natalie. You're just a copy of her! But nonetheless, I still have to fight you.

Matthew brought out his hammers again as the XANA Natalie made the first move and charged straight towards him. He jumped out of the way, just before she could slice him with her swords. She then started swinging her swords at him every which-a-way, but Matthew was able to block all of the attacks. He had to, he had 20 lifepoints left in the bank, and his friends and elders were counting on him to stop XANA. But he knew that this fight wasn't going to be easy.

Back over on Earth, Jeremy and Aelita were now out of the city and driving down a lonely street by a large river. The monster was still right behind them but gaining ground.

Aelita: Come on Jeremy, faster!

Jeremy: I'm trying but...

Then suddenly, the car started to slow down. The engine stopped running completely. Jeremy looked at the dashboard and saw...

Jeremy: Oh no! We're out of gas!

Aelita: What?! What are we supposed to do now?

Jeremy looked over towards the river.

Jeremy: Go for a swim. Come on!

He grabbed Aelita's hand and pulled her out of the car and the two warriors jumped into the water and paddled their way across. The current was strong but they managed to get through it. As they came onto shore gasping for breath, they noticed that the monster had stopped on the other side of the river and looking down at it. A light bulb suddenly went off in Jeremy's head.

Jeremy: WATER! That monster's afraid of water!

Aelita: Maybe if we splash it a bit, it will melt itself away.

Jeremy: Worth a shot.

So the two jumped back into the water and stood upon a couple of rocks sticking out from the surface. They began splashing water upon the chemical monster and the monster roared in pain as smoke began pouring out of where the water hit.

Aelita: It's working! Keep going!

They kept splashing water onto the monster and slowly but surely, it began to melt away. Then suddenly, the monster roared loudly at the water and with its hot breath, it quickly dried up the stream.

Jeremy: Ok...I didn't expect that at all...RUN!

The two warriors took off running towards an open field on the other side of the dry river. Over at the abandoned shed, Odd, Yumi, and William thought it was safe to come out of hiding. Making sure the monster wasn't there, the three warriors slowly snuck their way out of the shed and back onto the rocky country road. They took off back down the road in hopes of outrunning the monster, but to their surprise the monster suddenly came out from the trees in front of them, blocking their path.

Odd: Oh come on XANA, how is that even fair?!

Yumi: I don't think he's willing to answer. Back the other way!

The three friends took off away from the monster as fast as their legs could carry them, but they were going to need a miracle in order for them to survive from it. Over at the melted remains of Kadic, Ulrich and the gang were hiding in the Garden Shed hoping the monster wouldn't find them. It was working for now, but for how long?

Natalie: I hope Matthew's ok.

Jonah: I just hope he can stop XANA all on his own.

The rest of the warriors agreed. Back over on Lyoko, Matthew still hadn't been able to destroy the XANA Natalie clone. He was getting tired, but the clone was still going strong. It slowly walked up to him smirking at Matthew leaning over catching his breath.

XANA Natalie: Give it up Matthew. You are weak, XANA is strong. XANA will be the great ruler of the world and he doesn't want you or anyone else standing in his way.

Matthew:_ (to himself) If I want to defeat her, I'm going to outsmart her._

The XANA Natalie brought up her swords into the shape of an X and they started to glow bright red.

XANA Natalie: Goodbye Matthew!

XANA: Finally, I won't have him standing between me and victory.

Matthew: Not this time. LIGHTNING!

Matthew has focused his energy on his hammers one last time and at the right moment, he pointed his hammer at the XANA clone and shot her down with his Lightning.

XANA Natalie: NOOOOOO!

XANA: NO! IMPOSSIBLE!

Matthew: And that my friends, is how it's done.

He turned to face the tower.

Matthew: I have the same abilities as Mrs. Belpois, so I just need to believe that I want to go in.

He stood in front of the tower and concentrated on entering. Taking a deep breath, he walked forward and entered the tower. When he was inside, he gave a big smile as he walk over towards the center of the platform.

Matthew: _(to himself) Believe you want to go up._

A white halo appeared around him and slowly but surely, Matthew ascended to the top of the tower. Back on Earth, Jeremy and Aelita were still running from the monster, when suddenly they both lost their footing and tumbled to the ground. The monster was now overshadowing them, bringing up its giant chemical fist getting ready to pound them to the ground.

Jeremy: I love you Aelita.

Aelita: I love you to Jeremy.

They both held each other's hand and shut their eyes waiting for their fate. Over on the rocky road, Yumi, William and Odd were trying their best to outrun the second chemical monster, when all of the sudden, the monster jumped up high into the air and landed right in front of them blocking the way. It began taking a deep breath and was about to breath its acid breath onto the three warriors.

Yumi: Looks like this is the end.

Odd: It was nice knowing you guys.

William: Hope to see you guys on the other side.

The all shut their eyes as well waiting for the worse. Over at the Garden Shed, the roof began to decay and standing above Ulrich and the gang was the third chemical monster.

Mariah: I love you guys.

Gary: We lived our lives together, we'll die together.

The each grabbed each others hand in a circle and shut their eyes as the monster began to melt away the structure.

Natalie: I love you Matt!

Matthew had just made it to the top platform and the interface appeared in front of him. Instinct took over and he placed his hand on the interface. The word "Code" appeared on the screen and Matthew focused again on entering the right code.

Matthew: _(to himself) Code: Lyoko_

At that moment, Code: Lyoko was entered. The monster beside on the road suddenly stopped breathing and Yumi, Odd, and William noticed. They looked up and saw it started to evaporate into thin air.

Yumi: We...we're

William &amp; Odd: ALIVE!

The monster beside the river suddenly stopped its fist just inches away from Jeremy and Aelita. The pair opened their eyes and gasped as they saw the monster fading away into nothing.

Aelita: I...don't believe it...

Jeremy: Matthew did it.

The monster at Kadic stopped melting away the Garden Shed and began to vanish, much to the relief of the gang and Ulrich.

Alexis: WE'RE ALIVE!

Jonah: THANK THE LORD!

Natalie: MATTHEW DID IT!

Matthew: My first tower deactivated.

Outside, the tower changed from red to blue and a few moments later, Matthew exited the tower looking triumphant.

Matthew: You lose again XANA! Now all I need to do is return to the past.

It was at this moment, Matthew remembered no one was at the factory.

Matthew: Oh yeah...I'm gonna have to devirtualize myself. Well that shouldn't be too hard.

He focused his energy on his hammers one last time and pointed them to himself.

Matthew: LIGHTNING!

The lightning devirtualized Matthew in an instant and a moment later, he appeared out of the scanners.

Matthew: Ok...note to self...never to that again. That hurt a lot.

Pushing the thoughts out of his mind, he ascended back up to the computer lab and began the program to...

Matthew: Return to the past now!

* * *

**Kadic Academy-Lunchroom**

**Wednesday 12:50 PM**

Gary: I can't believe that you actually stopped XANA's attack by yourself.

Matthew: I'll tell you this much, it was not easy. Not only did he send his usual monsters my way, he also sent a XANA clone of you Natalie.

Natalie: ME?! Why me?

Matthew: Most likely because he thought that I would crack under the fact that I would have to fight my girlfriend to stop him. But I remembered that it was just a fake and not the real you.

Natalie: *giggle* You darn right it's a fake.

She gave him a quick peck on the cheek, making him blush slightly.

Jonah: So now...we have to start out afternoon classes all over again.

Alexis: Ah quit your moaning Jonah. It could be a lot worse.

Mariah: Yeah it could be Gary beating you at Foosball again.

Jonah: Let's not speak of that.

The gang laughed as the bell rang signalling the resuming of classes. While on the other side of the cafeteria, Brandon's flashbacks came again. This time they were of XANA's recent attack with the chemical monster.

Brandon: What is happening to me? Why can't these visions just go away?

He tried putting them to the back of his mind as he walked out of the lunchroom.

* * *

**Lyoko-Unknown Location**

XANA: That puny Matthew is much stronger than I anticipated. But how was he able to stop my attacks that easily? And where did he get those abilities from?

XANA continued to ponder for answers, until a sudden thought struck him.

XANA: Maybe...Yes that's a possibility. A very good possibility.

He chuckled evilly as he turned off his red interface and disappeared in a cloud of black smoke.

* * *

**I had a fun writing this chapter. Difficult but fun. It was nice to do something a bit challenging such as trying to figure out how to use a chemical monster as an attack and how to go about using a Natalie Clone as an attack as well. These two ideas were given to me by my mate pokemonking0924 once again. Thanks dude! You're awesome! I hope you guys enjoyed this latest chapter. But before I leave, I just wanted to point this out, that this story is now coming up towards 50 chapters. That is a milestone and a half for me as I never would have thought that I would produce 50 chapters for you guys to enjoy. I will say this, I do have a special chapter planned for it and it might surprise you. I'm not going to reveal what it is, not even to you pokemonking0924. I said it many times before, I like to keep you guys on the edge of your seats. Like I said, it might surprise you.**

**So until then, thank you guys so much for reading and enjoying. Stay tuned for Chapter 47 of Code Lyoko: New Youth. Until then, as always FakeACU83 OUT!**


	47. Battle with the Bot (Revised)

_**Chapter 47: Battle with the Bot (Revised)**_

**So I revised this chapter a bit to make it a bit better. I made the robot werewolf a little shorter, extended the robot fighting as well as the battle on Lyoko and also added a bit of a surprise at the end. Don't scroll all the way down to see what it is please. Read the whole thing and tell me in a review or PM if this one is better than the old one. Thanks so much! ENJOY! :D**

* * *

**A Week and half Later**

**Sunday-April 12th**

**Lyoko-Unknown Location**

XANA: They may have stopped my plans from taking over this world, but they won't this time.

From his interface, XANA activated a program. But from what was on it, it wasn't a virtualization program to Lyoko. Instead, it looked like a manufacturing program with a strange looking monster on it. Far away from France and hidden from society, stood a large factory complex. This factory was a manufacturing plant, capable of creating objects using robots. Various robotic arms started moving around as the conveyor belts began bringing out large sheets of metal. The robotic arms then began to weld and shape each piece into the image that was on XANA's interface. This was something that the warriors were not going to expect at all.

XANA: Now when this is finished, I'll teleport it to them.

* * *

**11:30 PM: Belpois Residence**

While all this was happening, Jeremy was up late working on his computer. He was working on the materialization program to try and bring Franz Hopper back to Earth and was making slight progress, but was nowhere near finished. It was getting late and Jeremy was exhausted. Ever since the weekend began after school last Friday, he had pretty much been glued to his chair staring blankly at his computer, typing in various commands and other computer science stuff just to try to make some sort of progress to bring the Lyoko creator back. This of course, took a toll on Aelita. She remembered her conversation with him months ago when he spent 2 whole weeks trying to crack the security code to XANA's world. She remembered telling him that it was essential for him to take care of his needs and not spend all of his time trying to go blind by staring at his screen. But since Friday of last week, she was beginning to think that he had completely forgotten about that, so she decided to talk to him about it. Dressed in her pink night robe, she walked out of the bedroom and into Jeremy's Study Hall. She tapped on the slightly open door and it was enough to get Jeremy's face off of the screen as he turned to look at her. She kneeled down beside him.

Aelita: Jeremy, it's time you get some sleep. You've been at this since Friday and now look at you, you look like you're about to fall to the floor. This is the second time that this has happened. First XANA's security code and now my father's materialization program. I told you this last time and I'll tell you again, it's important that we fight XANA but it's also important to look after our own needs. And right now...need I say more?

Jeremy gave out a loud yawn as he stretched his body out from his chair.

Jeremy: Alright Aelita, I'll stop for tonight. But just remember, I'm still gonna try and work on this.

Aelita: I know, but thank you for listening. Now let's get some sleep. You got a class to teach tomorrow

Jeremy: *groan* Maybe you should teach my class tomorrow, because with the way I feel right now and looking at the time, I don't think I'm going to be able to get myself up.

Aelita: *giggle* Well, if it's alright with you, I'll be happy to take over for the day.

Jeremy: It's fine with me. Besides, you seemed to enjoy yourself the first time you taught my class, so I don't see why you can't do it again. Just be sure to let Mr. Hamilton know when you get there.

Aelita: Don't you worry Jeremy.

Jeremy smiled as he stood from his chair and followed Aelita back to their room.

* * *

**7:00 AM The Next Day**

**Kadic Academy-Principle's Office**

Aelita walked up to Mr. Hamilton's door, once again dressed in her business casual attire, and knocked a few times.

Mr. Hamilton: Come in!

Aelita entered the room, much to the principle's surprise.

Mr. Hamilton: Mrs. Belpois if I remember?

Aelita: That's right sir.

Mr. Hamilton: What brings you here today?

Aelita: My husband came down sick this morning, so I asked him if it was okay if I could teach while he recovers.

Of course, we all know that Aelita wasn't really telling the truth, but Mr. Hamilton seemed to buy it.

Mr. Hamilton: Well, I don't see why not. As long as you have an idea on what you're doing.

Aelita: Oh don't you worry sir. Jeremy told me what he went over last Friday and told me what he had planned for them today.

Mr. Hamilton: Very well. Well, have a good day madam and I wish your husband a speedy recovery.

Aelita: Thank you sir. Have a good day yourself.

With that, Aelita left the office and walked over to Jeremy's classroom. Meanwhile in the cafeteria, the gang were sitting at their normal table enjoying their breakfast and asking Matthew how his team did in yesterday's Chinese Grand Prix.

Natalie: Well, how did they do?

Matthew: Well, it was a better race than Malaysia. They ended up finishing the whole race without getting crashed, but Aaron finished 8th while Seb finished 10th. Still they scored some points, but it wasn't much.

Jonah: So where are they off to now?

Matthew: Their off to Bahrain this weekend.

Gary: Um...where the heck is Bahrain?

Matthew: It's a country in the Middle East. It's pretty much an island nation, with the track sitting in a small part of the desert.

Mariah: Wow a desert? It's gonna be pretty hot out there.

Matthew: Even though it's a night race, yes it still will be hot.

Matthew enjoyed telling his friends all about his team's progress, but there was one thing that he wasn't telling them. He remember his conversation with Benjamin on his way to his first day of simulator driving over at the team's shop in Le Mans. He remembered him saying that they were working on upgraded parts for the Bahrain Grand Prix and that he might get his chance to get behind the wheel to test out the car with the new parts. The only problem was that he hasn't been informed of that happening. So now, he was a bit upset thinking that he wasn't going to get his chance and would have to wait a while longer. But he kept it to himself. About an hour later, breakfast was over and it was time for classes to begin. The gang and the rest of the students stood from their seats and filed their way out of the cafeteria and towards their first class of the day. Matthew entered his Computer Science classroom and expected to hear a "good morning" from Jeremy. But he was surprised to hear someone else say it.

Aelita: Good morning Matthew.

Matthew: Mrs. Belpois? What are you doing here? ...Is Mr. Belpois sick again? I hope XANA doesn't try his simulation bubble trick again.

Aelita: No Matthew, he's not sick. He's...

She looked around and made sure the other students weren't listening.

Aelita: He's stayed up til midnight last night working on my father's materialization program. He said that he was so exhausted that he probably wouldn't have been able to wake up this morning. So he asked me if I could teach for him for today.

Matthew: Well makes sense.

Aelita: Good. Now get to your seat young one, it's nearly time for class to begin.

Matthew looked up at the room's clock and indeed, only 30 seconds remained before the tardy bell. He quickly went over towards his seat and Aelita prepared herself for her second day of teaching. A few hours later, it was lunchtime. As soon as lunch started...it happened. In the Desert Sector, one of the towers became activated. In the factory, the old robotic arms stopped working and pulled away from its creation. Suddenly, two bright red XANA eyes appeared and a loud roar echoed throughout the building.

XANA: This is it. Time to test out my newest creation. Commence the teleportation to Boulonge-Billancourt, France!

Back over at Kadic, Aelita was walking over towards the gym to see Ulrich, knowing that he usually practices his Pencak-Silat. When she entered, she got a big surprise. It wasn't just Ulrich that was there, but also...

Aelita: William? Odd? Yumi?

Odd: Hiya princess!

Aelita ran over to give them all big hugs, still surprised to see them all there.

Aelita: What are you guys all doing here?

William: We thought we would stop by and say hello to Ulrich since me and Odd had nothing to do and Yumi's martial arts academy is undergoing renovation. What are you doing here? Is Einstein sick again?

Aelita: No not this time. He's kinda been going back to his old ways of fighting XANA. Only this time, he stayed up til midnight working on a materialization program for my father.

Ulrich: Really? He's going to try to bring him back?

Aelita: Yes he is.

Yumi: Why don't you sound excited Aelita?

Aelita: I am excited about possibly seeing my father again for the first time in a couple of decades, but like the old days I'm still worried that Jeremy is overdoing it, you know?

Odd: That's our old Einstein.

Yumi: Well I'm sure that everything will work out.

Aelita: I hope so...I really hope so. So what's been going on with you guys?

* * *

**Cafeteria**

Jonah: So Mrs. Belpois subbed your class again?

Matthew: Yep. Apparently Mr. Belpois stayed up late trying to work on a materialization program to bring her dad back.

Natalie: You mean that Franz Hopper guy? The one who created Lyoko?

Matthew: That's the dude.

Mariah: Wow. I can understand why he's trying to get him back. For Mrs. Belpois obviously, but maybe he can help destroy XANA.

Matthew: That's a good point Mariah, but from what I heard progress is going very slowly.

Gary: I guess all we can do is hope he gets it done.

Alexis: And hope it works.

Matthew: Amen you two.

As the gang went back to eating their lunch, they suddenly heard the XANA alert go off from Matthew's computer.

Matthew: Oh man, again?

He brought out his laptop and indeed saw an activated tower.

Matthew: Alert in the Desert Sector. You guys know the drill.

Alexis: But...what's the attack?

Matthew suddenly grew pale.

Matthew: Umm...I wish I knew.

Little did he and the gang know that they were about to get their answer...but not in the way they were hoping. In the wooded park outside of the lunchroom, a loud stomping of what sounded like metal feet could be heard. It grew closer to the Kadic and from inside the room, the gang and the students could hear the banging. Everyone started to feel nervous and tense, while in the gym, the old warriors couldn't hear the noise...but they would soon. In the cafeteria, the sound grew louder and louder until it sounded like it was about 50 feet from them.

Gary: What is that noise?

Natalie: I don't know...but I don't like it.

Matthew: EVERYONE QUIET FOR A SEC!

The whole place went quiet as Matthew tried to make out where the sound was coming from. He listened hard and he could hear it coming from the park. Plucking up some courage, he opened the door to the cafeteria and took a step outside. He looked around and saw nothing. Just then, the noise stopped, which made Matthew even more tense.

Matthew: Hello?...Is someone there?

From inside the lunchroom, the gang and the rest of the students looked out the window watching Matthew and looking for...whatever it was making the noise. They could see nothing...for the moment. Matthew looked straight in front of him again, then suddenly a pair of bright red eyes could be seen from the dense brush. Matthew squinted his eyes to get a better look...and gasped. He saw that the eyes were XANA's eyes. Just then, a bright red orb started to form below the eyes and started to grow bigger. The students saw this to, but Matthew knew what it was as he sprinted back inside just in time to say...

Matthew: EVERYBODY HIT THE DECK!

Everyone dropped down to the floor just as the orb disappeared and a massive laser shot the side of the building, causing a large explosion to be heard throughout the campus, including the gym.

William: What the heck was that?!

Aelita: I have a feeling I may know. Come on!

The old warriors followed Aelita outside of the gym and there they saw it. It was a giant robot that looked to be about a foot and a half taller than William and had the shape of a werewolf that stood on two legs. It's front two paws had sharp claws that could compare to the Tigers on Lyoko, and razor sharp fingers on them. It had a wolf like face and a long and flexible tail with a red orb on the tip of it. On the Robot's face, they could see XANA's red eyes and then they knew.

Ulrich: XANA.

In the lunchroom, all the students had somehow not been crushed by falling debris, due to the robot hitting the hallway that led to the cafeteria instead of the room itself. Everyone stayed down on the floor except the gang, who very quickly got a glimpse of the robot.

Jonah: XANA really wants us gone this time.

Gary: We know he's after us mostly, so we gotta get this thing away from the campus to prevent from hurting innocent people.

Mariah: But how do you suggest we do that?

The gang tried to think of a plan, but couldn't. Alexis took another glance at the monster and from a distance, spotted the old warriors looking at the robot also. This gave her an idea.

Alexis: Guys, Mrs. Belpois, Coach Ulrich, Miss Ishiyama, Mr. Della Robbia, and Mr. Dunbar are outside.

Natalie: And?

Alexis: I have an idea. Matthew, do you still have Mrs. Belpois' number?

Matthew: I think so. Why?

Alexis: Call her and tell them to distract the robot and we'll sneak around it and head for the sewers. Tell them to keep it away from the other students. I know it sounds risky, but that's what we do as Lyoko warriors right?

Matthew: I guess so...alright I'm in.

Matthew brought out his cell phone and quickly dialed Aelita's number. A moment later, Aelita's phone rang. Luckily it wasn't loud enough for the robot to hear as it kept standing outside the cafeteria waiting for the gang to come out.

Aelita: Matthew?

_Matthew: Mrs. Belpois, I know you guys can see that robot right?_

Aelita: Yes.

_Matthew: We need to get to the factory and Alexis came up with a plan to do that. Now, I know it's going to sound risky, but you and the others just have to trust us._

Aelita: Ok Matthew let's hear it.

_Matthew: The robot is obviously after us and not the other students, so what we want you guys to do is distract that thing away from here and it'll give us a chance to sneak around it and head for the sewers. Then you guys just keep it away from the lunchroom and try to destroy it._

Aelita: You're right, it's risky but I don't see any other choice.

_Matthew: So, you'll help?_

Aelita: We're on it.

She hung up the call and turned to her friends.

Aelita: The youngsters are going to try and make their way to Lyoko, but they need us to distract that robot in order for them to get there.

Odd: Sounds dangerous...I LIKE IT!

William: Anything to get rid of this freak.

Yumi: Let's do it. Odd, will you do the honors?

Odd: I thought you'd never ask. Ahem...CHARGE!

The old warriors raced towards the robot with Odd yelling at the top of his lungs. The robot turned and saw them coming towards it.

Odd: Hey you great big hunk of metal, bet'cha can't catch us!

The robot knew that it was old Lyoko warriors and immediately began to attack. From its tail, the red orb began to glow brighter until the robot flicked its tail almost as lightning speed and fired a single laser shot at them. The warriors jumped out of the way to miss it and began running for it. The robot grew frustrated and gave out a loud mechanical roar. The roar was so loud that it made the old warriors, the gang, and the rest of the students dizzy and disoriented.

Mariah: Argh...this is weird!

Once the dizziness wore off, the robot took off after the old warriors, firing more lasers from its tail.

Matthew: NOW GUYS!

The gang ran out of the cafeteria and into the park. To their relief, the robot didn't see them as suddenly, it wrapped its long tail around a decently sized tree and with seemingly no effort at all, pulled the tree out of the ground and flung it at the warriors.

Ulrich: LOOK OUT!

They all stopped instantly as the tree landed right in front of them missing them by millimeters. They looked back and saw the robot werewolf running towards them again. They wasted no time as they hopped over the fallen tree and ran for it. But then, once the robot jumped over the tree, it flung its long tail at them. Aelita was the furthest one behind and the tail was close enough to her. It swiped at her right foot and caused her to flip over and land on her side. She yelped as she suddenly hit the ground. Then a massive shadow looked over her. She looked up and saw the robot standing above her and charging up its mouth laser.

Aelita: GUYS HELP!

The warriors stopped in their tracks when they heard Aelita wail out. They looked behind them and saw her on the ground with the robot above her.

Yumi: Aelita hang on!

They ran back for her as quickly as they could. Aelita shut her eyes anticipating her end. Suddenly, she felt herself being lifted up and being carried swiftly away just as the robot fired its laser, causing a large explosion of fire and debris. This gave the warriors a chance to hide out somewhere as they burst through the doors from the track and field stadium and back inside the hallways. They moved away from the doors and set Aelita down gently onto the floor nearby the stairwell. Ulrich and Odd looked out the door's windows for a moment and saw the robot coming towards them. They back away quickly as the robot stopped by the doors. It did a quick scan inside the hallways, but didn't see the warriors there. It continued on its search away from the doors. The warriors breathed a big sigh of relief and turned their attention back to Aelita.

William: You okay Aelita?

Aelita: A little shaken, but alive. How are we supposed to beat this thing?

Yumi: The same way we always do. We fight it head on and find its weak spot.

Ulrich: It won't be easy but we have to try.

Odd: ALRIGHT! Time for some danger! Bring it on, Odd's ready!

Yumi and Ulrich groaned as Odd started his bragging again.

Yumi: There he goes again. We need to find weapons. Odd and Ulrich, you two head for the Garden Shed and look for weapons there. Aelita, William, and I will head to the boiler room to look there.

Ulrich &amp; Odd: Got it!

So Ulrich and Odd snuck out of the hallways and ran off towards the Garden Shed, while Aelita, Yumi, and William ran through the hallways to the boiler room.

Aelita: I hope the young ones deactivate that tower in time.

William: So do I Aelita...So do I.

Speaking of the gang...

* * *

**Lyoko-Desert Sector**

Matthew, Natalie, and Alexis dropped down into the Desert Sector between Gary, Jonah, and Mariah. Matthew summoned their vehicles before he virtualized himself and the others and was able to locate the activated tower.

Matthew: The tower is North from here over on the next plateau. Come on guys, lives are on the line!

Gang: SIR! YES SIR!

Hopping into their vehicles, they set off towards the tower. They didn't know that they were being watched by a very angry XANA.

XANA: How were they able to survive that blast from my robot?! And how were they able to get to Lyoko?! Hmm, time to up my game.

He activated several virtualization programs for many monsters. He was going to make sure that the warriors would be destroyed.

XANA: All I need is for my monsters to knock them all into the Digital Sea. Then they'll be virtualized for good and will no longer stand in my way.

Back on Earth, the giant robot werewolf was still scanning around the stadium area. With the area being so large, there could be many places where the old warriors could hide. In the Boiler Room, Yumi, Aelita, and William were looking for anything that could be used to fight against the robot.

William: I found a couple of rods of rebar. That could work for a bit.

Yumi: I found 2 nail guns. Sorta like the ones Jim used to fight off the Kankrelats the first time XANA invaded Earth all those years ago.

Aelita: I couldn't find anything.

Yumi: Here Aelita. Take one of these nail guns.

Aelita: Thanks Yumi.

William: Now, let's go and fight that robot!

Over at the Garden Shed...

Odd: Find anything Ulrich?

Ulrich: Yeah. I found 2 tomahawks that we could use.

Odd: Cool! That ought to work.

Ulrich: Come on Odd. We got a school to defend.

Odd: I read ya loud and clear General!

So the two friends ran out of the Shed and back towards the track. When they arrived, they both hid behind a couple of trees about 80 feet from the robot. They quickly took a look from behind the trees when the robot had its back turned and looked towards the hallway doors. It was then they caught a glimpse of Yumi, William, and Aelita, all with weapons and ready to defend the homefront. Yumi gave a nod to the boys, and Ulrich and Odd knew what that meant. They came out from behind the trees and Odd brought his arm back ready to swing. With a mighty swing of his arm and with good aim, he threw the hatchet at the robot's back. The machine never saw it coming as the tomahawk hit it square in the back, but surprisingly did very little damage. It turned around and saw Ulrich running towards it with great speed, hatchet in hand. He was just about to strike the robot, but the robot used its long tail to swipe him off his feet and toss him to the other side of the track.

Yumi: Guys now!

Suddenly, Yumi, Aelita, and William burst through the doors and charged towards the robot. Aelita fired several nails at it leaving a few holes in the metal, but not doing enough damage to affect it. William ran straight for it and started swing the 2 rebar rods at it. Rebar is quite a strong material, thus making it very durable. This proved after William hit the robot several times with them, causing a few dents but still not doing enough damage to it or to his weapons. While all this was going on, Odd ran up and picked up his tomahawk again and started swinging at the robot again, while Yumi ran over to check up on Ulrich.

Yumi: Ulrich! Are you okay?

Ulrich: I'll live. I've been through worse. I hope the youngster are at that tower.

Yumi: They should be there by now, knowing how long they've been gone.

Yumi helped him back to his feet and the two lovers charged back into battle. Back over on Lyoko...

Jonah: Tower in sight!

From high above in Alexis' OverCopter, Jonah could clearly see the activated tower in front of them.

Matthew: Good eye Jonah! Now hopefully we'll deactivate that thing before...GAH!

Natalie: OOF!

Suddenly, Matthew's OverRacer was hit from behind with a powerful laser. It didn't devirtualize his vehicle, but the blast was enough to knock him completely sideways until the car's wheels dug into the sand and caused it to flip several times. Matthew and Natalie were ejected from the OverRacer as the vehicle continued to tumble and crash straight into the tower, thus devirtualizing it. The two warriors groaned as they got back on their feet 10 lifepoints fewer. Gary and Mariah skidded to a stop beside and Alexis and Jonah hovered above them.

Gary: You guys alright?

Natalie: We're fine...for now.

Mattthew: I was going to say hopefully we could deactivate the tower before XANA decides to come and play, but unfortunately that is never the case. Look.

The warriors looked and their eyes went wide. Coming straight towards them were 4 Tigers, 2 Shielders, 4 Tarantulas, and 2 Mantis'.

Mariah: Oh great...Not another army.

Matthew: Gary, use that reinforced bumper of yours to knock some out of here!

Gary: Right! Hang on to something Mariah!

Gary pushed the throttle to the floor and charged towards the monsters.

Gary: BAIL MARIAH BAIL!

Mariah bailed out of the OverBuggy as well as Gary and the buggy continued onwards, colliding straight into 2 of the Tarantulas knocking them both into the Digital Sea. XANA saw everything and was not happy.

XANA: What?! Already?!

Gary and Mariah got back on their feet just as Alexis flew her chopper over them. Jonah aimed its machine guns at the Mantis' and fired multiple lasers at both of them, hitting each eye and destroying them easily. Matthew charged up his War Hammers and used his Shockwave ability to knock 2 of the Tigers into the Digital Sea. But the Shielders used their spikes on their tank treads to keep themselves planted to the ground. They both activated their shields, but Natalie used her WindSlash power to destroy both shields before sprinting towards them, jumping in the air at the last second and stabbing both of her swords through the thick glass and into the Shielders back, destroying them. All that was left were 2 Tarantulas and 2 Tigers. The Tarantulas were easy to destroy as Mariah and Gary proved when Gary threw both of his boomerangs straight into one of the Tarantula's eye and Mariah used her Invisibility power to sneak up behind the other Tarantula before jumping onto its head and stabbing its eye with her short sword. From high above, Alexis piloted her chopper over to the remaining 2 Tigers. Jonah fired the laser machine guns again at them, hitting both of them on the skin and eventually getting them to roar loudly. Mariah and Natalie used this as their opportunity to strike. They sprinted towards them and with the Tiger's mouths still wide open, they both stabbed their blades deep into the XANA orb and the Tigers were destroyed. They gang cheered at their success as Alexis landed the OverCopter and got out along with Jonah.

Jonah: Nice work everyone!

Natalie: That was easier than I thought it would be.

Mariah: Just goes to show you how much better we've been getting. Now for that tower. Matthew, will you do the honors?

Matthew: Don't mind if I do.

Matthew ran over towards the tower and ready to head inside. But just as he was about to enter, he and the gang heard a loud splashing sound.

Matthew: _(to himself) Umm...What the heck was that?_

The gang started to get a little bit on edge as they tried to figure out where the noise came from. Then suddenly, out of the blue, a set of 3 spikes flew towards Matthew. 2 of the spikes missed him by inches, but the third collided with him in his chest, knocking him back quite a ways. The gang saw this and gasped.

Natalie: MATT!

Gary: HANG ON BUDDY!

They quickly rushed over towards Matthew, who was now groaning back onto his feet, now with just 10 lifepoints remaining.

Mariah: You okay?

Matthew: Nope. I have a feeling I know where those came from...

Alexis: Well...what was it?!

Suddenly, they heard the splashing sound again, not once but twice. Then crawling up from the edges of the tower's plateau came 3 of XANA's new Gators.

Matthew: Them...

The Gators moved in closer and started to surround the young warriors. Weapons in hand, the 6 friends prepared themselves for a tough first fight with the Gators. The first move was made by the 3 Gators, who each flung 3 spikes at the warriors in order to quickly disorganize and devirtualize the gang. The devirtualization didn't work, but they did manage to split the gang off into pairs of 2 with Gary and Jonah, Mariah and Natalie, and Alexis and Matthew. They didn't know it either but they were moving closer to the edge of the plateau with the Digital Sea looming below them.

XANA: Ha ha yes. Keep up the good work my minions. Send them all to the Digital Sea!

The Gators seemed to know what XANA was saying as they flung more spikes at them. But this time, all 6 warriors were able to knock them all out of the way, but the Gators fired more and more spikes, making the gang work overtime in blocking and dodging them. Over at Kadic, things weren't going so well for the old warriors either.

Odd: Good grief, this thing's a tough nut to crack!

Indeed it was. The warriors have been trying their absolute best to take the robot out, but weren't getting far. They were able to damage its metal skin, but it not enough to damage its circuits and ultimately destroy it. They were starting to get tired, but summoned all of their energy back to the robot. But the robot had other ideas. Ulrich and Odd were coming in from behind the robot yelling to the heavens and getting ready to hit the robot with their tomahawks. With one good swing from each of them, they swung their axes hard enough to cut through the metal skin on the robot and damage it internally. The robot froze up for a second but then suddenly wrapped its long tail around them, squeezing them tightly with ever increasing pressure. Ulrich and Odd groaned as it felt like every bone in their body was about to be crushed to bits. But then, the robot flung them out of its tail and over towards the school's outside wall. The pair hit the wall hard enough to knock them out.

Aelita: ULRICH! ODD!

Aelita grew angry and started to fight back herself. She still had plenty of nails left in her nail gun and knew that it was time to make the most out of them. She turned to Yumi and motioned her arm at the robot, indicating for her to attack as well. Yumi understood what she meant and together, the girls charged at the robot firing multiple nails at it. Some of the nails went straight through the metal skin and damaged the robot's circuits even more, while others either missed it entirely or hit the skin and bounced right off. The robot again froze up for a moment as sparks flew out from either side, but the robot was one tough customer and wasn't backing done even in the slightest. Then the robot attacked them back as it charged up its mouth laser and fired it at the ground below Yumi and Aelita. The laser caused a large explosion knocking the girls backwards and skidding along the grass. They too were knocked out but alive still. The robot looked around the stadium once more. Where was William? Back over on Lyoko, the Gators had more had the 3 pairs of warriors just feet away from the edge of the plateau, but the warriors were too busy to even notice as they had spent the past few minutes ducking, dodging and blocking the flying spikes. But it didn't take them long to figure out what they were trying to do as Matthew looked behind him for just a split second and gasped.

Matthew: Guys! Their trying to knock us into the Digital Sea!

The rest of the gang looked behind them and saw that they were all on the edge of the plateau.

Natalie: XANA wants us to fall in there. We gotta act fast!

Mariah: And how do you suggest we do that? XANA's eye is in their mouths like the Tigers.

Just then, Matthew realized something.

Matthew: If the eye is in their mouths like the Tigers, then we need to fight them like the Tigers. Get them angry enough to open their mouths and then strike!

The gang thought about it and agreed.

Gary: Time to fight back!

Gary was the first to make a move as he threw both of his boomerangs at the Gator. The reptile ducked its head out of the way as the boomerangs bounced off its scaly before returning to Gary. Jonah made his move next, swinging his axe at the Gator's skin, not doing damage to it however but was testing its patience. Natalie and Mariah went next as Natalie used her WindSlash power to pushed the second Gator back a few yards and Mariah fired her laser guns at its skin, of course not doing any damage to it. Alexis and Matthew attacked the third Gator with Alexis using her Invisibility power to her advantage, not only confusing the monster but also using her short sword to attack its skin and move it back from the edge, helping them gain ground. Matthew used his Lightning Power to strike the Gator's back, but not not do damage to it. Matthew however knew the it was working, as he could see the Gator in front of him and the Gators around his friends started to get angry.

Matthew: It's working guys!

And indeed it was. The gang kept the same strategy going for several more minutes until finally the Gators couldn't hold back. Each of the three Gators opened the mouths and growled at the gang in frustration and there they saw the orange XANA orb.

Matthew: NOW GUYS!

Jonah was the first to strike as he sliced his War Axe through the eye of the first Gator. Mariah charged up her guns and fired one last laser at the eye and Alexis threw one of her daggers straight into the eye and with a low growl, the Gators went limp and blew themselves bits. XANA couldn't believe what he was witnessing.

XANA: NO! HOW CAN IT BE?!

Matthew: WOO-HOO! Great job everybody.

Natalie: Now let's try this again. Matthew, would you do the honors of deactivating this tower?

Matthew: Don't mind if I do.

So for a second time, Matthew ran over towards the tower, but this time he went inside without mishap. Back on Earth, the robot was still looking for William, who seemed to have disappeared...or so it thought.

William: TAKE THIS YOU NO GOOD HUNK OF METAL!

William came rushing out from around the corner with the rebar rods in his hand ready to strike the robot. But robot had something different in mind. It then gave a mighty roar, which caused William to get extremely dizzy and disoriented. The robot werewolf kept roaring and eventually, the warriors began to black out. In the tower, Matthew had just floated up to the top and entered Code: Lyoko. The tower changed from red to blue and the robot werewolf suddenly stopped roaring and toppled down to the ground. Just as it happened, Aelita, Odd, Yumi, and Ulrich started to regain consciousnesses and William started to get his wits back about him. They moved in closer to look at the disabled robot.

Odd: Well that was eventful.

William: Ya don't say.

Matthew: Tower deactivated.

When Matthew exited the tower, he looked at his friends triumphantly.

Matthew: Awesome job guys. Another one of XANA's schemes failed.

Gary: One problem mate. With no one in the factory, how are we going to return to the past?

Matthew: That's easy. Just devirtualize me and I'll do it.

Gary: Oh...that makes sense.

Matthew: Anyone wanna have a go?

Jonah: I'll do it! Consider it a little bit of revenge after you had Mr. Della Robbia fire his arrows at me.

Matthew: Oh yeah.

So Jonah swung his Axe and in one shot, devirtualized Matthew, who popped out the scanner seconds later. He traveled back up the elevator to the computer and began the program.

Matthew: Return to the past now!

The white light began to consume everything in its path as it always does. At the Belpois Residence, Jeremy had just woken up from a nap and was heading outside for some fresh air when he saw the white light coming towards him. He chuckled to himself.

Jeremy: XANA. I knew they could handle him without me.

* * *

**Monday-April 13th**

**Lunchtime**

Everything was back to the way it was before the attack. The hallways were fixed and there was no sign of any robotic werewolf anywhere. The gang were pleased at their accomplishments, while Aelita was a little concerned. She was back at the gym with Odd, Ulrich, William, and Yumi, but this time, she was on speaker phone with Jeremy explaining everything that happened.

Aelita: Then all of the sudden, this giant werewolf looking robot came out of nowhere and started to raise havoc on Kadic. I don't know what make of it.

Jeremy: ...I think I do. Remember that one Replica in Siberia? The one that had XANA's army of combat robots ready to take over the world?

The warriors remembered what he was talking about and immediately grew worried.

Ulrich: Jeremy...please tell you're not saying...

Jeremy: It's just a theory Ulrich, but it could very well be. XANA must have another secret baser somewhere here on Earth. A base that we missed. A base that is linked to XANA's world.

The warriors shivered at the thought.

Yumi: Can you be sure about that?

Jeremy: At the moment no. We won't be sure until we can find a way to break into his world and teleport you guys to that base...if there is one. But until then, you guys know what to do. Stay on your toes and be ready for anything.

Aelita: That's all we can do right now Jeremy...That's all we can do.

* * *

**The Next Day**

**April 14th-4:10 PM**

The next day went by as normal as could be for the gang and the rest of the students of Kadic Academy. Jeremy came back to work after his "sick day" yesterday and seemed to be in better spirits after his much needed hours of sleep. Matthew on the other hand, was still feeling a bit down. He kept thinking about was his team boss said to him about possibly...POSSIBLY getting his chance to get behind the wheel of a F1 car to test out updated parts at the next race at Bahrain. But with the race weekend only days away, Matthew was starting to think that he wouldn't get his chance. He and his friends were sitting on a bench after class outside in the courtyard. Matthew acted like he was happy that classes were over, but still kept his sadness to himself. He was hardly listening to his friend's conversation and began to think back to he and Benjamin's conversation about Bahrain.

* * *

_**A Few Weeks Ago**_

_Matthew: If I may ask sir, what do you and Nathaniel had in store for me when we get there?_

_Benjamin: Currently we are developing new parts for the cars that should be ready for the Bahrain Grand Prix, which is the 4th race on the schedule._

_Matthew: Wow, that was fast._

_Benjamin: Well we are a new team who has the capability of running with the top teams like last year's champion Mercedes Team. We want to show the other teams that we belong here and that we're capable of finishing on the podium and possibly even win. And hopefully the new parts will help us accomplish this. But anyway, Nathaniel is the team's technical director. He oversees all of the engineering that goes into the car, which means that he won't be joining us for your training for he is helping out constructing out new parts. But I will oversee your training, which will take place in our driver simulator. Basically what will happen is you will use the simulator to practice going around the track in Bahrain, so when the parts are ready to be used, we will call you down and have you test._

* * *

**Present Time**

Matthew kept replaying that talk over and over again in his head and didn't realize a pair of fingers snapping in front of his face. Until he heard someone yell his name.

Natalie: MATTHEW!

Matthew: Huh? What?

Natalie: Are you okay?

Matthew: Oh...uh...yeah Natalie I'm fine...Just thinking.

Natalie: Oh? What about?

Suddenly, Matthew's phone rang in his pocket. He looked at the number and saw, to his surprise, it was Benjamin's number.

Matthew: Hang on Natalie. It's my boss Benjamin.

Natalie: Well go ahead. It's probably important.

Matthew answered the call moments later.

Matthew: Hello Benjamin.

Benjamin: Good afternoon Matthew. I have some exciting news for you.

Matthew perked up a bit when he heard him say that. He quickly put his phone on speaker so that his friends could hear.

Matthew: And uh...what news would that be sir?

The gang looked at each other confused, wondering why they were listening to the conversation. Benjamin continued on.

Benjamin: We have just loaded up our cars onto our plane and are getting ready to fly over to Bahrain as of tomorrow.

Matthew: Okay? And?

Benjamin: And we've put inside the plane, along with the cars and all of the team's equipment, a set of new parts for the car!

Matthew and his friend's eyes went as wide as dinner plates when they heard this. But before they could react to the news, Benjamin continued on.

Benjamin: We've given the car a move aerodynamic efficient nose piece to help air flow more easily around the car as well as an updated engine to handle the heat of Bahrain as well as the long straights and sweeping corners. We hope that these parts will make the car go faster in a straight line as well as make it more aerodynamically efficient.

Matthew: So...does this mean that...

Benjamin: Yes it does young Matthew. You are heading to Bahrain with us to test out the car!

On the other end of the line, Benjamin could hear the cheers of Matthew and what sounded like his friends. He couldn't help but smile for his young driver.

Matthew: Thank you so much for the opportunity sir! When do I need to be there?

Benjamin: We will come and get you tomorrow afternoon at around 2 PM. Bahrain is about a 5 hour flight from here and First Practice begins Thursday evening at around 6 PM local time. You will test out the car then before handing it back over to Sebastian. You will also be able to stay the entire race weekend and will return home to France around 2 AM Monday morning. However, we do need your principle's permission for you to come.

Matthew: I'll get right on that sir and I'll get back to you in a few moments.

Benjamin: Excellent. Talk to you in a few minutes.

Benjamin hung up the call and Matthew turned to face his friends smiling the biggest smile ever and being hugged all around by them.

Gary: I can't believe this man!

Jonah: You're finally going to live your dream!

Mariah: We're all so excited for you!

Alexis: I'll be watching the rec room's TV on Thursday.

Natalie: As will I!

Matthew: Hold your horses guys. It's not official unless I get Mr. Hamilton's permission.

Gary: Well what are we waiting for? Let's go!

The gang quickly ran over to the principle's office to tell him the news. When they arrived, Matthew pounded on Mr. Hamilton's door, startling the principle.

Mr. Hamilton: Come in!

The gang entered the office, much to his surprise.

Mr. Hamilton: What brings you all here?

Mariah: Matthew has some news for you sir.

Mr. Hamilton: Oh? And what news would that be?

Matthew: Well sir, do you remember that new Formula 1 team that came here for Career Day looking for a test driver?

Mr. Hamilton: Yes, I do seem to remember that. They chose you to be their driver didn't they?

Matthew: That's right sir. And as the test driver, I have the opportunity to test out the car when new and updated parts are installed onto it. Well, I just got off the phone with my boss Mr. Benjamin Hardy and he said that they have updated parts installed onto the car for this weekend's race and they need me to go with them to test it. I will be gone the rest of the week and will return to France around 2 AM Monday morning. But first, I need your permission sir.

Mr. Hamilton thought about everything that Matthew had told him. He was needed at Kadic obviously to earn his education, but then again, his team needed him also. This was his future career. A dream he has ever since he was a young child. He thought about it for a few more moments before finally turning his attention back to the gang.

Mr. Hamilton: Very well Matthew, you have my permission to participate with your team.

The gang all cheered at the principle's approval.

Mr. Hamilton: Now now children, quiet down. I will grant you permission to go with your team, but only if you take your school work and all of your homework for the next few days with you. We can't have you falling behind on your studies while you are away.

Matthew: Understood completely sir. Thank you so much for your time.

Mr. Hamilton: You're very much welcome. I wish you and your team the best of luck this weekend!

With that, the gang left the office and Matthew redialed Benjamin's number.

Benjamin: Bonjour.

Matthew: Benjamin, it's Matthew. My principle has given me the all clear to go with you guys.

Benjamin: Brilliant! Now we've built you your own racecar with the updated parts and engine installed on it. It's one of the perks of being a test driver, you get your own car. I've already given you your car number. You will drive Car #47.

Matthew felt a little disappointed.

Matthew: Uh...can I change my car number to number 83?

Benjamin: Oh? Why number 83?

Matthew: It's the number I wore when I was a part of my old Church's youth soccer team. It's also the number I would use in most video games. It's always been a lucky number to me and it just wouldn't feel right if I didn't use it for this weekend.

Benjamin: I understand young man. Very well, #83 it shall be.

Matthew: Thank you sir. See you tomorrow!

Matthew hung up the call after that and turned to his friends.

Matthew: Now it's official. I will be living my dream!

The gang cheered for the friend as they walked over towards the rec room.

* * *

**The Next Day**

**April 15th-1:50 PM**

Soon, the big day came and it could not go by any slower for Matthew. He had been excited all day about finally getting his chance to get behind the wheel of an actually F1 racecar. But he kept his focus throughout the day getting all of his work done and getting all of his homework assignments for the next few days. The teachers were all surprised by the news of him going to Bahrain as well as the other students, who were present on the day he signed up for the team. But the most excited were the gang, but at the same time, they knew that they were going to miss him even if it was just for a few days. It was nearing 2 o'clock and Matthew was dismissed from his class. He went back to his room to gather up suitcase that he packed up the night before. He packed in all of his essentials, including a few fresh pair of clothes, his shower and personal hygiene items, and of course his backpack on his shoulder with all of his homework for the next few days. Once he ready, he made his way out to the front gates to wait for Benjamin to arrive. He didn't have to wait long. As the clock struck 2 o'clock on the dot, Benjamin's red Renault pulled to a stop at the curb.

Benjamin: Bonjour Matthew! You ready to go?

Matthew: Oui Benjamin, I am.

Matthew placed his belongings in the back seat of Benjamin's car and was just about to climb into the passenger seat when suddenly a voice was heard coming from Kadic.

?: MATT! WAIT UP!

Matthew looked up and saw the gang running towards him waving him down. He quickly rushed over to him and the gang immediately gave him a group hug. They finally let him go and began to speak.

Gary: Have fun mate.

Jonah: Congrats on the opportunity.

Matthew: Thanks guys.

Matthew gave the guys a firm handshake and turned to Mariah and Alexis.

Mariah: We'll miss you Matt.

Alexis: Have a good time. Get some pictures for us.

Matthew: Heh, don't worry I will. And I'll tell you guys all about it when I get back.

He gave them both hugs and then turned to face Natalie.

Natalie: I'll miss you Matt.

Matthew: I'll miss you to, but I'll be back on Monday.

Natalie: I know. Be careful and have fun.

Matthew: I will. I love you.

Natalie: I love you to.

He gave her a big hug and kiss and then turned back towards Benjamin. He climbed into the passenger side of the car and was ready to go.

Matthew: Onwards to the airport Ben.

Benjamin: Off we go.

And Benjamin drove away towards the airport. Matthew turned around to look out the rear window and saw his friends all waving to him. He smiled as he rolled down the window to wave back at them.

Matthew: _(to himself) This is it. I'm ready to live my dream._

* * *

**Now that's much better. I'm much happier with this revised version of Chapter 47 and I hope you guys think so to. If you did, be sure to let me know via review or PM. Chapter 48 is in the works as we speak and will come within a matter of days...at least that's what I plan. But anyway, thank you guys so much to reading this UPDATED version of Chapter 47. I hope you guys enjoyed it and be sure to stick around for more and stayed tuned for the 50th Chapter Special.**

**Until then, as always, FakeACU83 OUT!**


	48. Living the Dream

_**Chapter 48: Living the Dream**_

**Thursday-April 16th**

**Kadic Academy-Rec Room**

**4:58 PM**

On a day that was plagued by frequent rain, we find the gang of 5 all sitting on the couch flipping through channel after channel on the TV.

Natalie: Come on Gary, according to the schedule, it's starts in 2 minutes.

Gary: I know Natalie, I know. I'm looking as fast as I can.

Gary kept flipping through a few channels until...

Jonah: STOP! That's it right there.

Natalie: Phew, just in time. Well, let's watch to see how Matthew does.

The gang went quiet as a few other students gathered around the couch. The clock struck 5 o'clock and the program began.

***Sports Channel Music starts playing***

_Commentator: From the challenging and demanding race track in China, to the hot and slick desert track of Bahrain, the Formula 1 World Championship makes Round 4 of the 19 race season home to the Bahrain Circuit where, even though the race is held at night, the heat is definitely one thing on the driver's minds. We welcome you all tuning in to today's LIVE coverage of the first of three Practice sessions in preparation for Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix. If you weren't with us at the last race in China, let us get you caught up with some highlights of the Chinese Grand Prix. After a surprise win in __Malaysia, the Ferrari team looked to continue their momentum into China and to hopefully contend for another win and bring the championship battle to the Mercedes team even closer. However, it wasn't all meant to be for the Italian team as it an all Mercedes weekend. Dominating all 3 Practice sessions, starting 1st and 2nd in Qualifying, and finishing 1st and 2nd in the race, with the Ferrari team coming home in 3rd and 4th. In other highlights, it was sort of a redemption week for the F1's newest team Hardy-DuBois F1. After having both drivers crash out of the race in Malaysia on Lap 9, the French team looked to bounce back with a good, points paying result in China. And that's just what they did, with both of their drivers finishing in the Top 10 and in the points, with Aaron Beasley in 8th and Sebastian Kaufman in 10th. And now we transition to this weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix. This track is a 15-turn, 3.36 mile long coarse with a mixture of 4 long straights, a series of tight corners, left and right chicane sections, and a few long sweeping turns. It's also a track that is positioned right smack in the middle of a desert, so you can guess that the desert heat would be issue here this weekend. Well, all this weekend's activities are held under the lights where the temperature is slightly cooler and more to the driver's likings. And speaking of the driver's, this First Practice Session will see a new face behind the wheel of one of these cars. And that driver is Hardy-DuBois F1's test driver, 16 year American Matthew Stephenson. If you didn't hear me correctly, then clear out your ears, a 16 year old kid will participate in this First Practice Session._

Mariah: There he is!

The TV changed to a camera that showed Matthew walking towards his team's garage. He was already dressed in his blue and white race suit and had a crowd of reporters surrounding him as he walked. The students were amazed by the amount of people around him.

Alexis: Incredible how a crowd is instantly drawn to a 16 year old kid driving a racecar.

Gary: I guess having a driver that young doesn't happen often.

The gang and the rest of the students agreed. Natalie kept staring at the TV screen that continued to show her boyfriend walking towards his team dressed in his race suit.

Natalie: _(to himself) He looks so handsome in his racing outfit._

_Commentator:__ With a young kid driving for a new team in F1, we just had to get down there and get to know this guy. And lucky for us, we have our pit reporter down at Hardy-Dubois F1's garage where she has indeed caught up with Matthew._

_Pit Reporter:__ Thank you very much up in the booth. I'm down here in the pitlane with what I, and along with everyone else here can describe as, "The Talk of the Garage." I am of course talking about young Matthew Stephenson. Matthew, this is your first crack at driving one of these highly sophisticated racing machines, and for a young kid such as yourself, who doesn't have a racing background nor grew up with one, how can even prepare for such a opportunity as this?_

_Matthew: Well, when I signed up for the team back in March, they had me come down to their shop in Le Mans and have me trained in the driver simulator, and the first track they had me trained on was in fact Bahrain, because they told me that they were developing some new parts for the car as well as upgrading the engine. So they had me running Bahrain on the simulator for a few weeks leading up to now and, to be honest I feel pretty confident in what the car can do with its new upgrades and I feel confident in myself after the schooling I had._

_Pit Reporter:__ You mentioned that your team has brought in some new and upgrades parts for the car as well as an upgraded engine. Can you tell us what your team has done to your car and what you hope it will achieve?_

_Matthew:__ Well to start off, the team brought in a new front nose piece to hopefully make the car more aerodynamically efficient and make it quicker in a straight line as well as keeping the tire degradation lower to make the tires last a little longer. As far as the engine, they said that they upgraded the cooling system in the motor to hopefully keep it from overheating especially in this desert heat, but I'm not real sure if they made any speed upgrades to the engine. I'll find out once I get out on the track._

_Pit Reporter:__ One more question for you Matthew. You were born in the United States, but move to France back in August of last year and have always had the dream of racing in F1. Did you ever really think that your dream would become a reality, especially at this young age?_

_Matthew: HA! NOPE! Heh heh, I really couldn't have imagined having this opportunity this young in my life. I mean, I'm still a freshman in high school, I got my driver's permit not even a couple of weeks ago, heck I haven't lived in France for even a year yet. And yet here I am with this awesome team who took a chance on me back in March when they were in need of a test driver, and I just really have to thank them all for giving me this chance to drive for them in this Practice Session. And I also have to thank my parents who were in full support in my career, and also all of my friends back over in France at Kadic Academy. Gary, Mariah, Jonah, Alexis, and my girlfriend Natalie, if you guys are watching, thank you for your support and hopefully this will provide you some entertainment while you guys are waiting out that rain over there._

_Pit Reporter:__ A very confident and a very pleasant young man in Matthew Stephenson. Back to you in the booth._

The gang couldn't help but smile broadly as their best friend gave his thanks to them on TV.

_Commentator:__ Thank you for that report and now let's get this week's festivities started. The first of three hour and a half long practice sessions has begun and already at least 8 of the 22 cars have gone out onto the track to turn some laps out here in Bahrain._

Over in Hardy-DuBois's Garage, Matthew had just arrived to greet his team. Benjamin and Nathaniel were there to greet him first as well as Sebastian and Aaron.

Benjamin: Welcome to Formula 1 Matthew.

Matthew: Thank you sir. I still can't believe I'm actually here.

Benjamin: Yes it is quite an experience, but enough of that. It's time to get down to business.

Matthew: Right. What do you want me to do?

Benjamin: First and foremost, before you even get out onto the track, we need to make sure that you are properly fitted in the car. What I mean by that is, make sure that the seat that we put in is to your liking.

Matthew: Alright, let's do it.

So Benjamin led Matthew inside the garage area where Matthew's car was waiting. The young Lyoko warrior was in awe. The car was the same color and design as Seb and Aaron's car, but the only difference was that his name was along the sides of the car as well as the American Flag next to it as well as the #83 on the nose of the car.

Benjamin: Say hello to the "Hardy-Dubois 01 Hybrid." Or HD01 Hybrid for short. It's a code name we've given our car in case you were wondering. Now then, just climbed inside the car and tell us if it's alright.

Matthew nodded and climbed in his car. He waited a moment or two to get himself adjusted and after a moment, he turned to his boss and smiled.

Matthew: Seat feels great sir.

Benjamin: Excellent. Now let's have you put on your helmet and get your strapped in.

Nathaniel came up and handed Matthew a simple light gray racing helmet helmet. He slid it over his head and opened up the visor on the front of it so he could see. Then, he latched himself up with a number of strong safety belts, and once that was done, Benjamin came up to his left side.

Benjamin: Now, we're putting in the final adjustments to your car. It should only take about 5 minutes and once we're done, we'll send you on out.

Matthew: Got it Benjamin.

Benjamin: Nathaniel, finissons ces ajustements. (Nathaniel, let's finish those adjustments.)

Nathaniel: Une chose est sûre Benjamin. Je suis dessus. (Sure thing Benjamin. I'm on it.)

So Nathaniel and the crew got to work on Matthew's car, while Benjamin sent Aaron out onto the track to start some practice laps. Benjamin walked across the pitlane over to the team's communication stand. This is where Benjamin, Nathaniel and a few of their engineers keep track of each drivers progress as far as pace compared to other cars and team strategy. It is also where Benjamin can communicate to his drivers over the radio as Matthew was about to find out.

Benjamin: *over radio* Check check. Test 1, 2, 1, 2. Do you read me Matthew?

Matthew: Yes sir. I read you loud and clear.

Benjamin: Good. Now when the crew are finished adjusting your car, we're going to send you out on track and we want you to do 10 laps under 1 minute and 50 seconds. Just do your best and afterwards we'll bring you back in.

Matthew: 10-4 Benjamin.

As the crew continued to make the final preparations to his car, Matthew couldn't help but feel a little worried about one thing.

Matthew: _(to himself) I hope XANA stays quiet for the weekend._

A few more minutes later, Nathaniel came over to Matthew.

Nathaniel: Vous êtes prêt à aller Matthew. (You're ready to go Matthew.)

Matthew had also been studying up on his French over the past couple of months and understood what Nathaniel had said. He watched as his other boss walked across the pits over to Benjamin. He saw Benjamin nod at him, signifying that it was time to begin.

_Commentator:__ And here's the moment that we've been waiting on ever since the day started. That is young Matthew Stephenson getting ready to head out onto the track for his first laps in F1. Our pit reporter has more._

_Pit Reporter:__ That's right. I've spoken to Nathaniel DuBois who co-owns the team and he told me that they're going to send Matthew out and have him run 10 laps in under 1 minute and 50 seconds. Now that's quite a task for a young rookie, but he said that they have confidence that he can do it. They're already installed the new upgrades to his car as well as his teammate Aaron Beasley, who's on the track now. Now his other teammate Sebastian Kaufman is sitting out this first practice session. Reason being is that in F1, your team is only allowed to have 2 cars out on the track and no more than that. So unfortunately, someone had to sit this one out and that someone had to be Sebastian. But I talked to him earlier and he said that he was perfectly okay with that and was excited to see how his young teammate would do in his first drive in a F1 car._

_Commentator:__ Now that's a teammate that everyone would like to have as there he goes! The American rookie makes his way out of the garage and down the pitlane out towards the track._

Natalie: There he goes guys! It's happening!

Mariah: This is a proud moment for him and for Kadic.

Matthew slowly made his way down the pitlane, heart beating fast already. He was over the top excited as he exited the pits and pressed the throttle pedal down to the floor and accelerated to the first turn. The first corner was a tight right-hand corner that led to an immediate left and right chicane section of Turns 2 and 3 that could be taken flat out. He came out of the third turn and sped down the first of 4 long straightaways. Then came another hard braking right-hand corner of Turn 4 followed by a short straight, before entering the second and final left, right, left chicane section of Turns 5, 6, and 7. Once he navigated himself through that, he sped down another short straight before braking hard into a hairpin like right-hand corner of Turn 8. He exited the turn and speeding down yet another short straight before turning left into a fast Turn 9 and braking hard for the second hairpin corner, a left-hand Turn 10. After that came the second long straight, to which he gathered great speed before braking slightly into a long left-hand corner of Turn 11. The next one was a long right-hand corner of Turn 12 that could be take wide open before braking slightly for another right-hander of Turn 13. Once out of there, he raced down the third long straight traveling upwards of 190 mph before braking hard for the tight right-hand corner of Turn 14, immediately followed by a small kink corner of Turn 15 before coming back along the main straightaway to start his first official timed lap. He reached a top speed of 205 mph before braking hard into Turn 1 and continuing on down the track. The fastest time of the evening was already set by the 2 drivers from Mercedes team, but when Matthew came off the final turn to complete his first lap...

_Commentator:__ And here comes Matthew Stephenson to finish his first lap in F1. Where will he end up? He will go...TOP OF THE CHARTS! How about that ladies and gentlemen. You don't think that this kid is fast? Well that lap certainly proved it. A 1 minute 34.523 second lap, that's about half a second quicker than the Mercedes duo._

Natalie: Holy cow guys! Did you see that?

Gary: That is one fast dude.

Benjamin: I am just amazed. That's P1 right there Matthew. Good work so far, keep doing what you're doing.

That's what Matthew did for the rest of his 9 laps and when he crossed the line to finish his 10 laps, the team couldn't help but smile.

Benjamin: Well done Matthew. We got the data we need as far as how the new parts help. Let's bring you back to the garage and we'll discuss it.

Matthew: 10-4 guys. WOO! That was fun!

The next lap, Matthew pulled back into the pits and the crew helped him move his car back into the garage. Once he got the car stopped and shut off, he unhooked his safety belts and climbed out to the applause of his crew. He pulled off his helmet and turned towards Benjamin.

Benjamin: Great work Matthew. The parts are working extremely well. They've shown that they can make our cars go faster. However, this is only practice. It could be a different story for qualifying or the race. But overall, a very good first practice session.

Matthew: Even it is was just 10 laps, those 10 laps were the most fun I've had in my life. So what about Aaron?

Benjamin: We're going to keep him out there so he can get used to the track before the race on Sunday. And for Sebastian, he'll return to his seat in the second practice session tomorrow.

Matthew: Alright then. Again, Benjamin and Nathaniel, thank you so much for giving me this opportunity. I told you when you hired me, that I wouldn't disappoint you.

Benjamin: And you certainly didn't disappoint us tonight. Now, why don't you go relax and enjoy the rest of the session.

Matthew: Thank you sir.

Over the next hour, Matthew stayed the quickest. The World Champion Mercedes Team stayed in 2nd and 3rd, much to their surprise. Aaron ended up in 4th place, which was the best he has finished a practice session in the first 4 races of the season. The students at Kadic applauded Matthew and the team's fantastic efforts...even though they couldn't hear it. The first practice session ended soon afterwards and once again, a big crowd gathered around the Hardy-DuBois Garage wanting to get an interview with Matthew. He came out moments later smiling broadly.

_Commentator:__ It was a stunning First Practice, which saw the reigning World Champion Mercedes team get beaten by a 16 year old American rookie. Did they stumble on speed or are they holding something back? No one really knows, but what we do know is that the 16 year old kid who topped the practice charts is with our pit reporter._

_Pit Reporter:__ And what a way to make your Formula 1 debut. Matthew, just incredible stuff we saw you do out there. How on Earth did that happen?_

_Matthew: Heh heh, I had a good car beneath me and I knew how the drive the track. Yeah, what an unbelievable way to start the weekend for the team. We shown that we were fast and able to stay up there with the Mercedes team, but this is only First Practice. We got 2 more Practice sessions to go, then qualifying, then the race, so a lot can change between now and then, but this is a great way to start the weekend especially with our new upgrades that we have on the car._

_Pit Reporter:__ Speaking of the upgrades, do you think they also had an effect on your team's sudden performance?_

_Matthew: You saw the lap times, so why are you asking?_

_Pit__ Reporter: Point taken. That's Matthew Stephenson, back to you in the booth._

Matthew went back over to his crew who were now packing up their tools and supplies for the day.

Matthew: So what now sir?

Benjamin: Well, unfortunately you're going to have to give the seat back to Sebastian tomorrow for the second practice. But you're still allowed to stay here in the garage and watch it all unfold and of course you're able to stay to watch the race until we get back to France.

Matthew: Sounds good sir. Thanks again. I think I better get some of my homework done before it gets too late in the evening.

Benjamin: Heh heh, that's understandable. Got to keep up with your studies.

Matthew: Amen Benjamin. Have a good night.

Benjamin: Same to you young man.

Matthew walked away towards his team's hotel suit at the track to get some of his homework done. When he arrived back at the suit, he couldn't help but grin widely.

Matthew: Even though it was just a practice session, it could be just the thing to launch my career in F1. And what's better, XANA stayed quiet.

He walked over to his backpack and pulled out some of his homework and began working. Over at Kadic, the students began to file out of the rec room and over to the cafeteria to have their dinner. While unknown to them, XANA had been watching them.

XANA: Normally I would have attacked you pathetic warriors then, but not today. For I'm saving up something special for you all. But not for another few months. Heh heh heh.

* * *

**If you haven't noticed, I put a lot of detail into this chapter because I've watched the sport of F1 for a few years now and I knew what I was talking about when writing this chapter. I don't know if you guys could understand it, but think about this, when Jeremy would explain all of his computer science mumbo-jumbo when it came to Lyoko, did you guys really understand it completely? I didn't and I'm sure a lot of you didn't either. But this is something I knew about for a while and you didn't understand it all, it's okay you don't have to read it. But anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I told you all that it wouldn't take me long to post it. So if you enjoyed it, be sure to leave me a review and follow and favorite. Chapter 49 may take a little while longer to write, but I do know what I want the chapter to be. So stay tuned for Chapter 49.**

**Until then, thank you guys so much for reading and enjoying. See you all soon! And as always, FakeACU83 OUT!**


	49. Returning Home?

_**Chapter 49: Returning Home?**_

**Hardy-DuBois F1 Headquarters**

**Le Mans, France**

**Monday-2:00 AM**

The French F1 team Hardy-Dubois pulled to a stop in their cars outside in the parking lot of the main building. Stepping out of the vehicles were a very happy crew, team owners, and drivers. The Bahrain Grand Prix was the team's best ever race in their short history. Aaron started in 5th place while Sebastian started up in 3rd and by the end of the race, it was Aaron finishing in 4th place and Sebastian finishing in 2nd place, scoring the new team's first ever podium position. Although it was the Mercedes team who ultimately dominated and won the race, the team were ecstatic in finishing 2nd. But it wasn't just Seb and Aaron who got a lot of credit, the fantastic weekend began with their young test driver Matthew, who stunned a lot of people by going fastest in the First Practice Session to start off the weekend. He said in his interview afterwards that it was thanks to the upgrades that the car had, but also the training that he received from Benjamin and Nathaniel that helped him achieve that goal. Now, after everything was all said and done and all the celebrations were over, the team had now arrived back in France early Monday morning. Matthew gave out a loud yawn as he was still a bit tired. But he knew that he had to get back to Kadic to get some sleep before school. Benjamin turned around and looked at him.

Benjamin: I really want to give you my personal congratulations on your stellar performance this week. Those 10 laps were just what the team needed to show them that we belong in this sport. So with that, myself and the team thank you.

Matthew: It's no problem Benjamin. Just doing my job.

Benjamin: And doing it very well. This could be the start of something amazing Matthew. Those laps could be all you need to launch your future F1 career.

Nathaniel, Sebastian, and the whole team gave the young warrior and round of applause. Aaron applauded with them, but scoffed to himself.

Aaron: Beginner's luck.

Matthew: This is all too much everyone, but thank you guys for giving me the chance to prove myself.

Benjamin: Our pleasure young man. Now, if I'm not mistaking, you have school to attend to in a matter of hours.

Matthew: That's right sir. And honestly, I'm not looking forward to it.

Benjamin: Well, one must never fall back on his studies. So I'll tell you what, I'll drive you back down to Kadic so you won't end up having to miss today classes.

Matthew: I would appreciate that very much sir. I'll try to get some more sleep in while I'm at it. I might need it.

Benjamin couldn't help but chuckle slightly.

Benjamin: Come on, let's get you back to school.

So Benjamin and Matthew walked over to Ben's red Renault and after Matthew put all of his stuff in the back seat, he climbed in the passenger side of the car, and they set off back towards Kadic. Matthew leaned his head against the window and began to drift off to sleep, thinking about how his friends would react to him when he came back.

Matthew: _(to himself) I wonder if they were able to watch the whole race weekend._

Putting the thought in the back of his head, he slowly fell asleep. After what felt like a few seconds after he closed his eyes...

Benjamin: Matthew...wake up youngster we're here.

Matthew: *groan* What?...Oh yeah. *yawn* Thanks for bringing me back Benjamin.

Benjamin: No problem Matthew.

Matthew got out of the car and stretched his tired muscles before going towards the back seat and grabbing his suitcases. Once that was done, he waved to his boss as he drove away back towards Le Mans. Matthew turned around and gazed at Kadic.

Matthew: Am I happy to be here?...Nope, but it's what I have to do.

He looked at his phone and saw that it was about 4 in the morning.

Matthew: May as well head back to my room and try to get some last minute sleep. I better be quiet though. Don't want Coach Ulrich to think there's an intruder.

So Matthew walked through the front gates of the campus and opened the hallway doors as quietly as he could, before sneaking back to his room. He was thankful that he wasn't caught and thankful that his room was still unlocked as he quietly slinked inside his room and set down all of his bags, before setting his alarm for 6 AM and laying down on his bed, not even bothering to change into his pajamas. And again, just when it felt like a few seconds after he closed his eyes...

BEEP BEEP BEEP

Matthew: *groan* Shut up alarm!

Matthew rolled over and slapped his alarm clock off before hobbling out of bed. Despite just coming back from Bahrain just a few short hours ago, he felt rested enough to take on the day.

Matthew: New day and a new me. Let's get it started off right.

So the young warrior reached over for his suit case to pull out his shower supplies and such as well as a fresh change of clothes before walking out of his room and towards the shower. When he arrived, he was surprised that he was the only one there.

Matthew: Eh, it is Monday and a lot of students don't like getting up on Mondays.

He quickly changed his mindset to getting himself cleaned up for the day. Once he was done, he went back to his room and gathered his homework and laptop before heading off for breakfast. The cafeteria was already filled with students eating their food including the gang, who were talking about Matthew's whereabouts.

Natalie: Did he give any of you guys a call or text saying when he was going to come home?

Jonah: If I remember correctly, the day he got the call his boss told him that they would return home at around 2 AM this morning.

Gary: So, he could be here right now for all we know.

Mariah: Or who knows, he might be taking the...

Girl Student: THERE HE IS!

The gang jumped at the sudden outburst from another student then grew even more confused when the whole cafeteria erupted into applause. They looked towards the cafeteria doors and gasped at what they saw. There was Matthew walking into the lunchroom, looking just as surprised as his friends with the sudden applause. He smiled and gave the students a wave before looking towards his friend's normal table. But instead of them sitting down, he saw them rushing towards him like a herd of elephants. Natalie was the first to reach him and immediately pounced on him, giving him the biggest and sweetest hug and kiss ever.

Natalie: I missed you so much. Welcome home!

Matthew: It's good to be home Nat. I missed you too. And I missed you guys as well.

He gave the rest of his friends hugs and handshakes before heading in line to get his breakfast. Once he got his portion, he made his way over towards his friend's table...while being followed by a few students. Carrie and Casey, the Kadic NEWS twins, were among them.

Matthew: What's going on here?

Carrie: We saw your amazing practice performance on Thursday on the TV.

Matthew: Wait...you guys were watching?

Gary: We sure were mate.

Alexis: We watched to whole thing, including the part where you gave your thanks to your parents and us.

Matthew smiled widely before turning back to the twins.

Matthew: So...what's with this crowd around me?

Casey: Well Carrie and I want to know the whole story of your experience and I'm sure everyone else wants to know as well.

Matthew: Well...eh what the hay. Why not.

So Matthew explained his on-track experience from the moment he stepped in to the moment he stepped out. He told them how great it felt knowing that he helped his team go faster than everyone else had expected. He then told them about how well they qualified and how well they raced, including the team's first podium finish with the 2nd place drive from Sebastian. The twins, the gang, and the students were all amazed. Once, he had finished, Carrie and Casey seemed satisfied.

Carrie: There's this week's headline. "From Student to Racer: Matthew Stephenson realizes a dream." I can see it now, our best edition yet! Oh, we gotta get to work on this pronto!

Casey: Right you are Carrie. Thanks for your time Matt and congrats to you and your team.

Matthew: Thanks you two. Glad you and everyone else got to see it.

Soon the crowd around Matthew began to disperse, leaving the reunited gang of 6 to themselves to enjoy their breakfast.

Matthew: I'm glad you guys got to see the First Practice.

Mariah: Why would we not? It's a proud moment for you and for Kadic.

Jonah: It sure was. So, what's next on the list for this week?

Matthew: As far as the races go, the next race will be in Spain in 3 weeks, so the team has a bit of time off until then. Which is good, because I still need to catch up on some sleep.

Gary: I'm not surprised. You looked like you were worn out after you finished.

Matthew: I was, but I'm alright.

Gary: Well that's good. Hey guys, don't forget that Prom is this Saturday night.

Jonah: Oh yeah that's right. Oh man I can't wait!

Matthew: Neither can I.

Natalie, Mariah, Alexis: Or us!

Matthew: Well, let's get through this week and have some fun come Saturday.

The gang all agreed and continued to eat their breakfast. However, at around lunchtime, they were unaware of XANA's latest scheme.

XANA: I know I said I have something planned for you weaklings, but that won't be for another few months. I still need time to prepare for it. However, that won't stop from trying to weaken you warriors, and this plan will certainly do it. And this time, I'll make sure that none of you know about it.

XANA laughed evilly as he disappeared from his tower, while in the Forest Sector, one of the towers changed from blue to red. But when XANA's specter crept out of the supercomputer, it didn't head towards Kadic like it normally would. Instead, it headed for a small part of the city, where a large 2-story house stood. Inside the house, was Mr. and Mrs. Stephenson, who were both taking today off from work. Mrs. Stephenson was busy in the kitchen while Mr. Stephenson was sitting on the couch watching TV. Unbeknownst to either of them, XANA's specter crept in through the front door and split itself in two. It slithered its way towards the pair and quickly entered their bodies. Their eyes changed to XANA's eyes for a split second before returning to normal. And through all of this happening, neither Jeremy's or Matthew's computer sounded the XANA alert. This was something that the gang were not expecting to happen at all.

* * *

**Kadic Academy-Cafeteria**

**Lunchtime-12:15 PM**

All of the students were enjoying their lunch and happily talking amongst themselves. The talk from Matthew's Bahrain experience had died down and been replaced by the talk of the upcoming Prom.

Jonah: This week is gonna go by extremely slow. I guarantee it.

Mariah: Ah you'll survive Jonah. Just a few more days yet.

Matthew: Anyway guys, what do you think the theme of the Prom is gonna be?

Natalie: From what I hear, it might be a "Moonlight Paris" sorta theme. So, I'm guessing like a night out in Paris kinda thing.

Alexis: Oooh now that sounds cool. Can't wait to go out there in my new Prom dress.

Gary: I still need to make sure that I still fit in my suit.

The gang chuckled at this and they continued to eat their lunch. However, moments later, they heard a musical alarm coming from somewhere. Matthew instantly knew what it was, but his friends didn't.

Alexis: Ummm...is that some new XANA alarm or something?

Matthew: Heh heh, no guys. It's just my video call alarm from my laptop. My parents must be wanting to talk. I'm not sure why though with it being lunch, but it's probably important.

So Matthew pulled out his laptop and opened up to reveal his parents video call.

Matthew: Hey Mom and Dad! How go things?

Mrs. Stephenson: Your father has some good news for you dear.

Matthew: You do Dad?

Mr. Stephenson: That's right son. We are moving back to America!

Matthew: Oh man that's wonderful...WHAT!?

Matthew could not believe what he was hearing and neither could his friends, who all had the same stunned faces as he did.

Matthew: What do you mean we're moving back to America?!

Mr. Stephenson: My old boss back in New York called me earlier and told me that a new position has opened up and he asked me to fill it. So yes, we're returning home.

Matthew: Returning home?! But I am home. New York isn't my home, France is my home. I hated everything about New York. I had no friends and everyone picked on me over my Southern Accent remember? I wasn't happy there and I'm definitely not happy about going back there. I can't leave my friends behind, especially on the week of the Prom.

Mr. Stephenson: I'm sorry son, but I'm afraid there isn't any choice in this matter.

Matthew: But...but...

Mrs. Stephenson: We'll be over to pick you up in about 30 minutes. Be sure to have all of your stuff packed up and ready for the flight home. See you then.

On that note, the call ended and Matthew slid his laptop back into his bag. He looked at his friends, who were still in shock. Tears started to trickle down his face.

Matthew: I can't leave...I don't wanna leave. I'm happy here...

He felt Natalie pull him into a tight hug, also crying.

Natalie: Why must this happen? I don't want you to go...please stay...please.

She started to weep uncontrollably on his shirt.

Matthew: I want to stay just as much as you guys want me to stay, but usually when my parents do something, there's no stopping them.

Gary: So...does this really mean...

Matthew: Unfortunately Gary...yes. It's the end of the young Lyoko Warriors.

This crushed the gang's hearts to dust.

Alexis: But...who is going to help look out for XANA? I know Mr. Belpois is capable, but with XANA undoubtedly getting stronger, he can't handle it on his own, even with Mrs. Belpois' help.

Matthew: That is an answer I wish I had. All I know is, it's going to have to be someone other than me.

He looked at his phone and saw that it was 20 minutes past 12. His parents would arrive in about 25 minutes. He got up from his chair and turned to his friends.

Matthew: I better go pack up my stuff and get ready to go.

Natalie: So...this is good-bye?

Matthew: I'm afraid so Natalie.

Natalie sprang from her and hugged him tightly not wanting to let go. Matthew lifted her chin and gave her one last long kiss before releasing himself from her hug.

Matthew: Good-bye Natalie. Good-bye guys. I'm gonna miss you guys.

Gary: We'll miss you to mate.

Jonah: Thanks for all the great times.

Alexis: Be sure to keep in touch.

Mariah: And be safe on your trip...home.

Matthew smiled trying to hold back more tears.

Matthew: Thanks for being the best friends an outsider like me could ask for.

With that, he slowly walked out of the cafeteria and back towards his room to pack, leaving his friends to try and come to grips with reality.

Gary: *sigh* I guess we better tell Mr. Belpois about this.

Natalie: Come on...let's go.

So dumping out the rest of the lunch in the garbage, the gang of now 5 headed for Jeremy's classroom to break the news. When they arrived, they found the Jeremy was not alone. In fact, Ulrich, Odd, Yumi, William, and Aelita were all there gathered around him listening to him explain something in regards to Lyoko. The old warriors turned to see the gang standing there.

Jeremy: Oh hello everyone.

Mariah: Hi Mr. Belpois. What's going on here?

Jeremy: Oh, I'm just showing my friends the progress I'm finally making on cracking XANA's security code as well as Franz Hopper's materialization program.

Alexis: Wow...that's great.

Jeremy: Hey, why the long faces?

The gang started to get more tears in their eyes as Natalie spoke for them.

Natalie: Matthew is moving back to America.

The whole room went silent for a moment.

Odd: Hang on. Let me just clear my ears. Now, did I hear you say that Matt is moving back?

The gang just simply nodded.

Aelita: But...what brought this on?

Jonah: Matthew's parents video called him during lunch. His dad said that a new position at his old job opened up and his old boss wanted him to take it. He agreed and now they're moving back.

Everyone sat in silence as they all tried to comprehend what was happening. Meanwhile outside at the front gates, Matthew was all packed up waiting for his parents to arrive. His phone said 12:45 PM.

Matthew: About another 15 more minutes.

But to his surprise, his parents pulled up not even 30 seconds later.

Mrs. Stephenson: Matthew my dear!

Matthew: Umm...I thought you guys said you'd be here in about a half-hour.

Mr. Stephenson: Normally we would, but traffic was on our side today and we got through easily.

Matthew: Oh...

Mr. Stephenson: So, you ready to go?

Matthew: Yeah, I'm ready to ruin my life.

Mrs. Stephenson: Oh come on now Matthew, you'll feel much different when you're back home.

Matthew: I highly doubt it. I told you guys that this is my home and I don't want to have anything to do with New York!

Mr. Stephenson: Young man, another outburst to your mother like that and you'll be grounded as soon as we land!

Matthew: Fine fine whatever.

Mr. Stephenson: Good, now put your stuff in the truck and get in the car.

Matthew did as he was told and when everything of his was in the truck of the car, he begrudgingly hopped into the back seat.

Mrs. Stephenson: I'll be right back you two. Just gotta tell Mr. Hamilton what's going on.

Mr. Stephenson: Take your time dear. No rush.

So Mrs. Stephenson walked through the front gates and inside the campus. However, she didn't take the hallway that led towards the principle's office. Instead, she went down the hallway that led towards Jeremy's classroom. She quietly walked down the hallway towards his class. Thanks to it still being lunchtime, the classrooms were all empty. She arrived at Jeremy's classroom and poked her head inside for a second and saw that the old and young warriors were all there at once. She grinned to herself as she knocked on the door, grabbing the attention of the warriors.

Jeremy: Come in!

Mrs. Stephenson walked in confusing the old warriors, but not the new warriors.

Mariah: Hey that's Matthew's mom.

Jeremy: Really now? Well, good afternoon Mrs. Stephenson. What can I do for you?

Suddenly, Mrs. Stephenson's voice changed to a very demonic tone.

Mrs. Stephenson: *demonic voice* You all can be eliminated from this world and let Lord XANA rule everything!

Suddenly, her eyes changed to XANA's eyes and before any of the warriors could react, Mrs. Stephenson summoned a massive dark energy orb and fired it straight at the warriors, causing a huge explosion within the room, dust and debris flying everywhere. Mrs. Stephenson smirked evilly.

Mrs. Stephenson: The job is done Lord XANA. The warriors are no more.

She hurried down the hallway and made outside the campus without being noticed. She then hopped back in the waiting car and buckled herself up ready to go.

Mrs. Stephenson: Mr. Hamilton said he was sorry that you have to go and wished you a safe journey.

Matthew said nothing as the family began the hour and a half drive towards the airport. He was still upset that he was moving back to America, that he didn't notice a small black smoke cloud emitting from the campus. Unfortunately, Mrs. Stephenson was wrong. The warriors weren't killed from the explosion. They were simply knocked back from the blast and slammed against the wall before it gave way from the blast. Now, all 10 warriors were laying upon a pile of rubble and eventually, they started to regain consciousness. First, it Ulrich who woke up to a pounding headache, followed by Odd, William, Yumi, Aelita, Jeremy, and the gang. When they woke up, they saw that they were surrounded by other staff members, students, the principle.

Mr. Hamilton: Oh thank goodness you're all alright. What on Earth happened here?

Ulrich: *groan* I'm not quite sure sir. All I remember is Mrs. Stephenson coming in to Jeremy's room and...

Ulrich suddenly stopped talking as he and the warriors remembered everything that happened.

Warriors: *gasp* XANA!

Jeremy: He must have been possessed Matthew's parents into thinking that they're moving back to the States!

Mr. Hamilton: Hang on a moment. Jeremy, Ulrich, what are Earth are you, your friends, and your students on about? Who is this XANA and what is this about Matthew Stephenson moving back to America?!

Ulrich: Sir, as much as we like to explain it to you, I'm afraid we don't have time to do so.

Jeremy: He's right sir. Matthew is in danger and we need to help him. Come on guys, we gotta get to the factory and fast!

The warriors slowly gathered themselves back on their feet. They were sore, but luckily for them nothing was broken...at least that's what they thought until...

Aelilta: AHH! MY LEG!

Aelita crumpled back down onto the pile of rubble clenching her right leg, which was now oozing bright red blood.

Jeremy: Aelita, what's wrong?!

Aelita: I can't feel my right leg.

William: Hang on, let me take a look at it.

Gary: You know first aid Mr. Dunbar?

William: I spent 15 years in the French Army. It's one of the first things you learn at Boot Camp.

So William crawled his way over towards Aelita, who was still holding her leg in pain. He gently moved her hands out of the way and examined the damage. Her leg was twisted sideways from about halfway down. He felt around the bone which made Aelita scream in agony.

William: Her leg is definitely broken. She won't be able to go to Lyoko.

Mariah: But...how are we going to deactivate the tower if Mrs. Belpois is injured and Matthew's in danger?

Jeremy: We'll have to deal with that later. Right now, we have to get to the factory.

William: I may need some help with Aelita until the paramedics get here.

Jeremy: I'll stay with you William. Gotta be there for my wife, "In sickness and in health."

Aelita smiled as he repeated their wedding vows.

Yumi: I'll stay here to.

Jeremy: Thanks Yumi. Ulrich, do you remember anything from the crash course I gave you guys all those years ago?

Ulrich: I think so Jeremy. I'll try my best.

Jeremy: Good. Now get moving!

So the gang, Ulrich, and Odd raced away into the park and into the sewers. They were still sore after being blasted out of the classroom, but they weren't going to let that stop them. It took them a little while, but at last they reached the end of the tunnel. They climbed up the ladder and together, swung down the ropes and descended down the elevator. It stopped at the Computer Lab, where Ulrich hurried over to the supercomputer while the rest of the warriors went further down the elevator shaft to the scanner room. When they arrived, Ulrich had located the tower.

Ulrich: According to the HoloMap, the tower is in the Forest Sector. So that's where you'll be heading. I just hope I can remember how to do this.

Alexis: We believe in you Coach.

Odd: You got this old pal!

Ulrich: Ok here we go. Transfer Odd. Transfer Alexis. Transfer Mariah. Scanner Odd. Scanner Alexis. Scanner Mariah. Virtualization!

* * *

**Lyoko-Forest Sector**

It wasn't long before Odd, Alexis, and Mariah dropped down into the Forest Sector safe and sound.

Odd: Nice job Ulrich! We're all here!

Ulrich: Whew. Okay, sit tight while I bring in the others.

**A Few Moments Later**

Ulrich: Virtualization!

At that moment, Jonah, Natalie, and Gary dropped down beside Odd, Alexis, and Mariah.

Gary: That's everyone Coach!

Ulrich: Okay, now the HoloMap says that the tower is North Northwest from your position.

Odd: Cool. Can you call us some taxis?

Ulrich: Uhh...right...erm...oh darn it! I can't remember the command to bring up your vehicles!

Natalie: It's alright Coach, we'll just have to do it the old fashioned way.

Odd: Ah, just like old times. Come on everyone, let's move!

With Odd leading the way and Ulrich guiding them, the 6 warriors raced through the Forest Sector in search of the tower, while XANA was watching them seething in anger.

XANA: NOOOO! HOW COULD THEY HAVE SURVIVED?! GRRR...no matter. They don't have anyone to deactivate the tower, so this should be an easy victory.

* * *

**Boulonge-Billancourt, France**

**Airport**

Meanwhile on Earth, the Stephenson family had arrived at the airport. Mr. and Mrs. Stephenson were waiting in line at the front desk to get their flight tickets, while Matthew sat in the waiting area in front of the window. He was still sad that he was leaving and couldn't get it off of his mind. He began to gaze around the massive lobby and noticed a large TV hanging just above it with the NEWS Channel currently shown. Matthew grew interested as he saw that it was Breaking NEWS. He listened closing to the NEWS anchor.

_NEWS Anchor:__ Breaking NEWS out of a school in Boulonge-Billancourt. A massive explosion rocked the foundations of a local private school known as Kadic Academy._

Matthew's eyes went wide as the NEWS showed a LIVE picture of Kadic with a big black smoke cloud pouring out of the building. He continued to listen in.

_NEWS Anchor: The explosion happened around 12:45 PM in a Computer Science classroom on the North side of the campus. Principle of Kadic, Mr. Wesley Hamilton, said that he heard the explosion and immediately ran down to see what happened. It was then he said he found the bodies of 10 people laying across the rubble. 5 of which were students of Kadic, 2 were teachers, 1 was the wife of the Computer Science teacher, and the other 2 were close friends. But luckily, they were still alive, as they woke up about and hour and a half after the explosion. The 5 students, 2 teachers, and their 2 friends were able to get up and walk away from the wreckage, but the wife of the Computer Science teacher, Aelita Belpois, severely injured her right leg. Luckily one of their friends spent 15 years in the French Army and immediately began applying first aid, with her husband and best friend by her side. We do not, however, know the cause of the explosion, nor do we know if it was a premeditated attack or simply a freak accident. We'll have more on this story as soon as the information becomes available to us._

Matthew sat back in his seat comprehending what he just heard. Suddenly, he heard a cell phone ring and it wasn't his own. It was coming from his father's suitcase. He looked up to see that his parents were still waiting in line and had their backs turned to him. He quickly snuck his father's phone out of his bag and answered the call.

Matthew: Hello?

_?: Yes, is this Mr. Daniel Stephenson?_

Matthew: No sir, this is his son Matthew. Who is this?

_?: This is Mr. Linus Hamlet, his boss over here at Hamlet Innovated Technologies._

Matthew suddenly perked up. It was his boss from France on the other line, not his old boss from America.

Matthew: How can I help you Mr. Hamlet?

_Hamlet: I'm in need to speak to your father about his vacation days._

Matthew: Well you're going to have to wait sir. He and my mother are in line at the airport getting our flight tickets.

_Hamlet: Flight tickets? Whatever for?_

Matthew was confused.

Matthew: Don't you remember sir? My dad told you that his old boss back in New York had an open position and wanted him to take it. Which means we're moving back to America.

_Hamlet:__ I don't remember having that conversation with your father at all. I haven't even spoken to your father at all today. _

Matthew's blood ran cold. He started to think about what he heard his father's boss say and what heard on the news.

Matthew: _(to himself) Mr. Hamlet said that he hasn't talked to Dad at all today and yet Dad said that he got a call from his old boss in New York. And the explosion at Kadic happened around the same time we left, just as Mom was..._

Matthew suddenly put two and two together.

Matthew: XANA!

_Hamlet: Matthew? What's going on?...Matthew are you there?_

Matthew was about to answer when he saw his parents coming his way. He quickly hung up the call and put the phone back in his father's bag before he even noticed.

Mr. Stephenson: Well son, we're all set to go. We have our tickets right here and we're ready to go back to New York.

Matthew saw it time to fight back.

Matthew: No! I won't go!

Mr. Stephenson: Matthew, what did I say to you earlier? One more outburst and you'll be grounded when we get there.

Matthew: Oh, but you're not gonna ground me pops. I figured it all out. You didn't get a call from your old boss. Mr. Hamlet can confirm that you haven't even talked to him about it today. And the explosion at Kadic just happened around the same time you Mom were coming back to the car. Nice try, but I know what's going on around here. I know it's you XANA!

Suddenly, Matthew's parent's eyes changed to XANA's symbol as they threw some dark energy orbs at him. But Matthew was able to jump out of the way and take off out of the airport, grabbing a nearby bicycle and pedaling as fast as he could towards the factory. His parents came out of the airport seconds later and threw more and more energy orbs at him. Other people coming in and out of the terminal ducked for cover. Matthew kept on pedaling towards the factory. Luckily for him, he knew which way to go.

Matthew: I gotta get to Lyoko fast. They can't deactivate the tower without Mrs. Belpois. It's up to me to save them.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of tire screeching across the pavement. He turned around and gasped as he saw his parents chasing after him in their car and catching him quickly. Matthew saw a narrow alleyway that led to the other side of some buildings. With quick thinking, he turned down the alley and burst out the other side, gaining some ground on his parents, but not much.

Matthew: Can't you guys just go somewhere else and leave me alone please?

His parents however weren't listening thanks to XANA's possession. Matthew kept pedaling down the street towards the factory with his parents in hot pursuit, but he had a long way to go still. Then he had an idea. He saw that he was heading towards a hill and near the bottom of the hill was another alleyway.

Matthew: If I can outrun them by the time I get to that alleyway, I'll be home free.

So he pedaled faster and faster up the hill using every once of strength and energy he had. He eventually made it to the top and sped down the other side, while his parents were almost at the top. Matthew saw the alleyway and at the last second, he turned down the alley and hid behind some dumpsters, just as his parents crested the hill. They couldn't see him anywhere. They grew very frustrated as they continued down the road, past the alleyway and down another road. Matthew looked down street and saw that his parents were gone.

Matthew: Whew, no time to lose!

Matthew still knew where the factory was from his hiding spot as he got back on the bike and raced away to help his friends.

* * *

**Lyoko-Forest Sector**

Back over on Lyoko, the warriors could finally see the tower.

Odd: Bingo! Tower in sight Ulrich!

Ulrich: That's great Odd!

Mariah: Yeah, but shouldn't something be happening?

As soon as she spoke, 6 of XANA's new Gators walked out from behind the tower, surprising Odd and Ulrich.

Odd: What? I thought those Gators only attacked in the Digital Sea!

Ulrich: XANA must have made them an amphibious monster, making them traveling on land and the Digital Sea.

Odd: Oh well that's just great. Well...BANZAI!

Odd immediately swooped into action and starting shooting his arrows at the Gator's skin, but wasn't doing any damage.

Odd: Huh? Why aren't they getting destroyed?

Odd had forgotten that the Gators had to be destroyed the same way as the Tigers. He kept firing more and more arrows at multiple Gators while the gang fought their own battle with the reptiles. Ulrich was overseeing everything and noticed that Odd's arrow supply was dwindling. Ulrich began to panic. He didn't know how to reload Odd's arrows.

Ulrich: Odd, be careful! You're running out of arrows!

Odd: Already?! Can you try to fill me back up?

Ulrich: I wish I could, but I don't know how to!

Odd: Well, try something before I...AAH!

Ulrich: ODD!

But Odd was already devirtualized and back in the scanner room.

Odd: Aww man come on!

Odd pounded the floor in frustration as he made his way back up to the lab. Meanwhile, outside of the factory, Matthew was now pedaling down the road that led towards the bridge.

Matthew: At last. I'm almost there.

Then suddenly, he heard the sound of screeching tires behind him. He turned around and sure enough, there was his parents barreling down the road trying to catch him. But Matthew summoned his last amount of strength and pedaled as fast as he could across the bridge. He jumped off the bike and swung down the ropes just as his parents screeched to a stop behind him and charged out of the car after him. But by the time his parents jumped down from the ledge, Matthew was already in the elevator descending down the the Computer Lab. Back on Lyoko, the gang of 5 were struggling against the Gators. The monsters were too quick for them. Each time the gang dodged one attack, the Gators would instantly attack again and again. It was throwing the young warriors off. So much so, that the Gators were beginning to surround the 5 in a circle and move in closer.

Gary: This is not good.

Alexis: We need help.

Now, Ulrich and Odd were beginning to panic at the gang's situation. The Gators had now surrounded them completely but weren't attacking just yet.

Odd: What are going do man? They need help!

Ulrich: I know they do, but everyone else is at Kadic and I have to man the controls. Oh man, looks like XANA got us this time.

?: Not if I can help it!

Ulrich and Odd jumped when they heard that familiar voice. They turned towards the elevator and gasped as they saw...

Ulrich &amp; Odd: MATTHEW!

Matthew: I figured out XANA's plans and I'm here to help.

Ulrich: Great, your friends are in desperate need for help. They're surrounded by 6 Gators.

Matthew: Send me in right above them. I've got an idea.

Ulrich: If you say so. GO!

Matthew: Right. And by the way, my parents have been possessed by XANA and have been chasing me from the airport. If they show up, keep them busy.

Odd: We'll do what we can.

So Matthew quickly descended down the elevator to the scanner room.

Ulrich: Guys hang in there. I'm sending you some backup.

Alexis: I'm guessing it's you Coach?

Ulrich: Not me this time. You'll see.

Matthew stepped into the scanners ready to go.

Ulrich: Transfer Matthew. Scanner Matthew. Virtualization!

Matthew was soon virtualized into the Forest Sector directly above his friends. He was just high enough to put his plan into action. As he dropped down towards the ground, he quickly grabbed his 2 Warhammers and focused his energy until they were bright white.

Matthew: GUYS HEADS UP!

The gang and the Gators looked above them and saw Matthew plummeting down from above. The gang quickly dove out of the way just in time.

Matthew: SHOCKWAVE!

Matthew slammed his 2 hammers onto the ground knocking the Gators backwards and flipping them onto their backs, but not into the Digital Sea. Matthew banged his hammers together and summoned his giant sword, before turning to his friends.

Matthew: GUYS RUN! I GOT THIS!

The gang did what they were told and ran for cover behind some trees and gazed upon the battle. The Gators had now flipped themselves back upright and began firing their spikes at Matthew from all sides. But Matthew wasn't to be taken lightly as he ducked and dodged and blocked all of their attacks. The Gators tried again and the same thing happened. They tried a few more times but couldn't devirtualize him. They started to get frustrated and Matthew saw this as his chance. He quickly focused his energy on his sword just as the Gators opened their mouths and growled loudly at him.

Matthew: Payback time XANA. ELECTROSLASH!

Matthew spun around in a circle and this time and circular electric slash emitted itself from his sword and sliced through the orb and the Gators clean through, destroying all 6 of them at once. The gang, Ulrich, and Odd were amazed as the young leader summoned his hammers once again.

Matthew: And that my dear monsters, is how it's done.

Gang: MATTHEW!

Matthew turned around and saw his friends rushing towards all smiling from ear to ear. They dog-piled him knocking him to the ground.

Natalie: You came back!

Matthew: I can't just leave my friends in danger.

Gary: But how did you know it was XANA?

Suddenly in the lab, Matthew's parents walked on through the industrial elevator doors and Ulrich and Odd noticed.

Ulrich: Save it for later you guys. Matthew's XANAfied parents are here.

Odd: Yeah and they don't look to happy.

Matthew's parents raised their hands up and began to charge up their dark energy.

Matthew: I gotta deactivate that tower!

Jonah: Well you better make it quick before your folks electrocute Coach and Mr. Della Robbia.

Matthew got himself back on his feet and quickly entered inside the tower. He made his way to the center of the platform and floated upwards to the top. In the factory, Matthew's parents fired dark electric bolts at Ulrich and Odd. The bolts ran through their body, slowly frying their systems. Matthew had now made it to the top and entered Code: Lyoko. Suddenly, his parents stopped shooting electricity and went limp. They fell to the ground unconscious.

Odd: Whew!

Ulrich: That was close.

Matthew: Tower deactivate.

The tower deactivated itself and Matthew reemerged smiling widely.

Matthew: We did it guys! Another attack stopped.

Mariah: Now how about we turn back the hands of time.

Matthew: Do you know how to do that Coach?

Ulrich: Eh...I think so.

Ulrich tapped a few keys on the keyboard and actually pulled up the return program.

Ulrich: Ah here it is. Return to the past now!

The bright white light consumed everything around it and rewound time.

* * *

**Kadic Academy-Jeremy's Classroom**

**Lunchtime-12:17 PM**

Odd: I'm telling ya Einstein. It was incredible. Matthew just destroyed those 6 Gators as if it was nothing.

Ulrich: By far one of the best things I've ever seen a Lyoko Warrior do.

Matthew: Hey, I couldn't leave my friends in danger. I did what I had to do.

Jeremy: Well we're all proud of you young one.

Warriors: That's for sure!

Matthew: Thanks guys.

Gary: So mate, does this that...

Matthew: You bet it does Gary. Matthew Stephenson is here to stay!

The gang cheered at the news and pulled him into another group hug.

Natalie: So, now can you tell us how you figured out XANA's plan?

Matthew: Oh yeah sure thing.

As Matthew explained everything, XANA stood in his tower seething with anger.

XANA: THAT WRETCHED WARRIOR HAS FOILED MY PLANS FOR FAR TOO LONG! GRRR...I need to stop them now more than ever. That Jeremy is getting closer to breaking into my world and if my plans keep failing and they enter my world, they are sure to stop me. I need to slow those warriors down, but how?

XANA grumbled to himself, until suddenly an idea popped into his evil skull.

XANA: Yes...yes! Why didn't I think of that sooner? That will sure by me some time as well as slow down those warriors. And I know just when to do it. Beware Lyoko Warriors. XANA is about to make his presence known. *Evil Laugh*

* * *

**This was a fun chapter to write and I hope that it was a fun chapter to read. The possession of Matthew's parents was a genius idea that was given to me by my friend INSAGNIA. **

**_"Wait...isn't it supposed to be pokemonking0924? He's usually the one who gives you ideas."_**

**Yes he does supply me with ideas, but he's not the only one. Yes indeed, this idea was given to me by someone different and I have to say, INSAGNIA thanks for you help in supplying me the plot of this chapter. You're awesome man!**

**Well would you look at that. That's Chapter 49 up and running. I hope you guys are ready for Chapter 50. I know I am. I plan on getting Chapter 50 posted HOPEFULLY sometime this weekend, but if it's not up by then, then expect to be up by next Wednesday at the latest. No ideas needed for #50 please. I know what I want to write, for I have planned this one out months ahead of time. But until then, thank you guys so much for reading and enjoying this chapter. If you liked it, be sure to leave a review, follow me and favorite the story, and just keep staying awesome.**

**Chapter 50 is right around the corner. See you all then. Until then, as always, FakeACU83 OUT!**


	50. Disaster at the Prom

_**Chapter 50: **_**_Disaster at the Prom_**

**Kadic Academy-Cafeteria**

**Thursday****-7:00 PM**

The day was nearly among them. Kadic Academy's annual Prom was now just 2 days away and if you haven't guessed, the students were all excited, especially the gang.

Jonah: Oh man, I'm so pumped for Saturday. This year's Prom is gonna be a blast!

Alexis: But I hear there are some problems going on with Prom.

Jonah: Oh?

Gary: Care to elaborate?

Alexis: Word on the street is that Mr. Hamilton has yet to find a DJ for the Prom. He said if he can't find one in time, then no music will be used on Saturday.

Matthew: Well that's a big ol' bummer. I hope he comes up with something soon.

Alexis: You're not the only one. Also, he's a little short on chaperons for the Prom.

Mariah: Eh well that shouldn't be too hard.

Natalie: With Prom just 2 days away Mariah, I'm sure it's a big weight on his shoulders. Does he have an idea on how to fix this?

Alexis: From what I hear, he's gonna consult Coach Ulrich and Mr. Belpois for suggestions. Seeing as how those two are like the Senior Staff Members of Kadic I guess.

The gang went silent for a moment and continued to eat their supper.

Natalie: Well, all problems aside, have you girls found your Prom dresses?

Mariah &amp; Alexis: Sure have!

Natalie: So have I!

Matthew, Gary, Jonah: Can we see some pictures?

Mariah: What are you stupid? No you can't look at our dresses.

Natalie:You boys will just have to wait until Saturday night.

Gary: Man, you girls are no fun.

Natalie, Alexis, Mariah: But you love us!

The boys playfully rolled their eyes making the girls laugh. After the laughter died down, the 6 young warriors went back to eating. Further away from the gang's table, Stephanie was walking out of the line with her tray full of food. She started walking towards an open table, but wasn't focusing on where she was going. She was still thinking about her troubles with Matt and Natalie since February and couldn't seem to get it out of her head. Then suddenly from out of nowhere, she bumped into someone but luckily didn't spill any of her food.

Stephanie: Ah why don't you watch where you're...

She stopped as she noticed that it was Brandon that she had ran into. They instantly grew a little awkward as a slight shade of red appeared on their faces.

Brandon: Oh...uh...hi Stephanie. You okay?

Stephanie: Uhh...yeah yeah I'm fine...Umm...sorry that I ran into to you.

Brandon: Oh uh...it's okay. No harm done.

Stephanie: Well uh...I better go find a table.

Brandon: Right...I'll uhh...see ya around.

Stephanie: Y...yeah. See ya around.

Brandon slowly walked away to get his food while Stephanie sat down at a nearby empty table. She started thinking about what just happened.

Stephanie: _(to himself) What the heck was that? What was that feeling I felt in my stomach when I saw him? Could it be...I don't know. He seemed to act the same way. Does he...Nah what am I thinking? There's no way he could like me...could he?_

She kept thinking about it all throughout dinner. Brandon was standing in line thinking about it too.

Brandon: _(to himself) Boy, what just happened between me and her. I felt so weird. Like...I've fallen in...DUDE WHAT ARE THINKING?! She's got her eyes on Matthew and mine on Natalie's. At least...I thought I did before that Valentines Day mess happened. I still gotta find a way to apologize to them and..._

Carrie: YO BRANDON!

Brandon: Huh?

Carey: Could you hurry up please? You're holding up a line back here.

Brandon looked in front of him and saw that all of the people that were standing in line in front of him were now gone. He blushed slightly at his stupidity.

Brandon: Oh uh...yeah sure thing...sorry about that.

With that, Brandon got his portion of food and the serving line ran as normal again. But as he was walking towards a table, he couldn't stop thinking about what happened on Valentines Day.

Brandon: _(to himself) How am I going to get them to forgive me? They already don't trust me. *sigh* Even if I told them everything about my past and why I act like this, they still wouldn't understand. If only Mom and Dad were still here today, they would be able to help me._

He took a glance out the window and gazed towards the night sky. Meanwhile, over in the principle's office, Mr. Hamilton had called Jeremy and Ulrich over to discuss the Prom's predicaments.

Mr. Hamilton: Now gentlemen, I know you understand the problems that had risen dealing with this year's Prom.

Jeremy: We have indeed sir.

Ulrich: Have you come up with a solution?

Mr. Hamilton: Unfortunately, I couldn't think of a DJ for us or extra chaperons. That's why I called you both here. I was wondering if you two had any suggestions as far as a DJ and at least 4 more chaperons besides yourselves.

The two warriors thought hard for a moment, until an idea popped into Jeremy's head.

Jeremy: I got it!

Ulrich: Got what?

Jeremy: I know where we can find ourselves a DJ.

Mr. Hamilton: And who might that be?

Jeremy: My wife Aelita.

Ulrich suddenly remembered.

Ulrich: Of coarse! Aelita would be the perfect DJ.

Mr. Hamilton: Your wife as our DJ?

Jeremy: Yes sir. You never knew about this, but she used to be the opening act for the SubDigitals years ago. She isn't anymore as she makes her own music.

Mr. Hamilton: Yes, I've heard of the SubDigitals before. I wasn't really into their music, but I knew of them. Very well, I'll put her down as our DJ.

Jeremy: Great. And I also know of 3 people who could chaperon Prom with us.

Mr. Hamilton: And they would be?

Jeremy: Mine and Ulrich's close friends Yumi Ishiyama, Odd Della Robbia, and William Dunbar.

Ulrich: Those are perfect. We've been friends for 20 years now, I'm sure that they would be happy to help.

Mr. Hamilton: Splendid. I'll write their names down. Ok gents, that is all. Be sure to tell your friends about the upcoming festivities and their duties.

Jeremy: Sure thing sir. We'll get right on that.

With that, Jeremy and Ulrich left the office and went back out into the hallway. Once they were out in the hallway, Jeremy turned to head back to his classroom to pack up for the day and head home. But Ulrich stopped him.

Ulrich: Aelita I can understand why we would bring her, but as far as William, Yumi, and Odd, why are we bringing them here?

Jeremy: The main reason is because I want to show you guys the more progress I made on XANA's security code as well as Franz Hopper's materialization program. And since we'll both be stuck here come Saturday, I figured "Why not have them chaperon?" That way, I can have you all seeing the progress.

Ulrich: Well that makes sense. Is it anywhere near done?

Jeremy: For Franz Hopper's program, it's about halfway done. But for XANA's code, it's not even close to halfway. Even though there's been progress made on it, it's still not even close. Trust me, I've tried.

Ulrich: Well okay. I'll video call Yumi, Odd, and William and you tell Aelita the plans.

Jeremy: Got it. See you in the morning Ulrich. Have a good night!

Ulrich: Night Einstein!

With that, Jeremy went down to his classroom to grab his stuff and headed for home, while Ulrich went back to his room at Kadic.

* * *

**The Next Day**

Friday soon came, but seemed to go by much to slowly for all of the students. This was the last day before Prom and everyone was starting to get even more excited. Finally, after what seemed like an absolute eternity, classes were finally over for the week and all the students rushed out of their classes to hang out with their friends. However, one student just made his way back to his room. That was Brandon. He still kept on thinking about the way Valentines Day went down and how he felt something when he talked to Stephanie. And needless to say, it was starting to overwhelm him a bit.

Brandon: Good grief, why can't these feelings go away!? Why would Stephanie have a thing for me? Especially after everything that happened back on Valentines Day? Ugh...maybe a quick nap will do me good.

So Brandon laid down in his bed and slowly closed his eyes. He felt relaxed, at ease, at peace...at least for the moment. As he slept, he suddenly had the flashbacks again.

_**Brandon's Flasback**_

_Zoo Keeper: You all might find this crazy, but I saw that the eyes were a bright red color and they had a strange symbol in the middle of their eyes, almost like they were possessed or something._

_All: XANA._

_Brandon: What are you morons talking about? Who is this XANA?_

_00000000_

_Brandon: Alright, spit it out._

_Matthew: Well you see, those animals are being possessed by a computer virus called XANA and its up to us to go to the old factory and stop him._

_Brandon: A evil computer virus possessing the animals? HA!_

_00000000_

_Matthew:__ What are you doing here?_

_Brandon:__ I'm here to help you. Look, I don't know what those things are and what they're doing here, but if you guys know something about how to take them out, then I'm willing to put my differences between you and me aside and help you Matt._

_Matthew:__ Ok Brandon, I'm willing to put my differences between us aside as well._

_00000000_

_Matthew:__ They did it._

_Brandon:__ Who did what?_

_Matthew:__ Sorry Brandon, but you won't remember any of this is a second._

_Brandon:__ What do you mean?_

**Present Time**

Brandon tossed and turned in his bed as the flashbacks continued to run through his brain. Then a second later...

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*

Brandon: WOAH! Huh?...what?

Brandon woke with a start at the sound of someone knocking on his door. He groaned and rubbed his aching temples as he climbed out of his bed.

Brandon: *groan* Hold your horses. I'm coming.

He answered the door and was surprised to see...

Stephanie: Um...hey Brandon.

Brandon: Stephanie...hi. W...what brings you here?

Stephanie: I've had a lot of things on my mind...including Valentines Day.

Brandon: Oh yeah...Listen I...I wanted to apologize to you for making you kiss Matt in front of Natalie. I thought it would be enough for you to be with him and for me to be with her.

Stephanie: It's not just your fault, it's also mine. I was stupid not to realize that they were in love and I was too desperate to think clearly about what could happen. So in truth, we're both to blame for this mess. And I think we should apologize to them.

Brandon: So do I, but I can't think of a way how.

Stephanie: Well I have. With Prom coming tomorrow, I was thinking that we say sorry to them there and explain to them that we were wrong. And hopefully just like that, everything will be joyful again.

Brandon: Alright I'm in.

Stephanie: Great...oh and I've also been thinking about something that's been bugging me.

Brandon: Oh?

Stephanie: I've been thinking about this long and hard and was wondering...would you want to go to Prom with me tomorrow night?

Brandon was shocked. So Stephanie also had a soft spot towards him. He blushed slightly before responding.

Brandon: Uh...sure. I would love to.

Stephanie smiled broadly at his answer.

Stephanie: Really?! Oh thank you Brandon thank you!

Then, she gave him something that he never thought he would receive. A big hug making him blush even more.

Brandon: I'll be by your room tomorrow at around 7 PM.

Stephanie: Great, I'll be ready by then.

With that, she skipped away down the hallway and back to her room, while Brandon shut his door and sat down on his bed thinking about what just happened.

Brandon: Maybe I was wrong. Maybe I do feel something for Stephanie.

He smiled slightly as he looked at his bedside clock.

Brandon: 6:45 PM huh? I only slept for about and hour and a half. Oh well, may as well get ready for dinner.

* * *

**The Next Evening**

**Prom Day-6:50 PM**

The great day had finally arrived and the students couldn't be anymore excited than they were now. They were all getting themselves ready for a lot of fun and a good old time. Brandon was staring at himself in a large mirror that hung off his door. He had on his nice suit that consisted of the classic white button down collared shirt, black trousers and belt, black dress shoes, and a spiffy black bow tie. He also made sure to that his hair was combed neatly and that his suit was straight. He looked in the mirror and smiled.

Brandon: I didn't think that I would be wearing this at all this year, but I am and I have to say, it feels nice to look professional.

He looked at his bedside clock and saw that it was now 10 minutes til 7.

Brandon: Well, time to get Stephanie.

So Brandon walked out of his room and down the hallway towards Stephanie's room. Meanwhile over in Matthew's room, Matthew, Gary, and Jonah were putting on their finishing touches to their outfits. Matthew had invited them over earlier so that they can each help each other make sure that their suits were squared away.

Jonah: So guys, what do ya think?

Jonah was wearing a semi-light purple dress shirt with a purple and white plaid neck tie, black dress pants and belt, and brown slip on shoes.

Matthew: *whistles* Looking good man.

Gary: I think Mariah's gonna like what you have on.

Jonah: I hope so.

Gary: I'm sure she will. Anyway, how 'bout me?

Gary was also wearing the classic white shirt, black pants, belt, and black dress shoes. He gelled his up neatly so the upward flick didn't show.

Jonah: You're not looking too bad yourself there dude.

Matthew: I'll say. I bet ya Alexis is gonna be saying the same thing. Now how about me boys?

Matthew was wearing a teal button down collared shirt with a teal and black plaid neck tie, black trousers, and brown dress shoes. He also wore a black velvet suit coat over his shirt.

Gary: Looking good mate.

Jonah: Yeah, nice touch with the suit coat.

Matthew: Thanks guys.

Matthew checked his phone for the time and saw that it was nearly 7 o'clock.

Matthew: Well guys, time to pick up the ladies.

Gary: Right behind ya mate!

So the guys left Matt's room and walked on over to Natalie's room, which where she, Mariah, and Alexis were discussing their outfits.

Mariah: What'cha think girls?

Mariah was wearing a long dark pink dress that went down past her knees and hung onto her right shoulder, a small diamond necklace and silver heeled shoes. She also had on a bit of shiny lip gloss.

Natalie: You look lovely Mariah.

Alexis: You sure do. I bet Jonah is gonna faint when he sees you.

Mariah blushed slightly at this.

Alexis: Now what about me?

Alexis had on a dark green, almost emerald colored dress that stopped at her knees. She also wore the same gold necklace that she has always worn and the same black flats she wore everyday. Unlike Mariah, she decided not to put on any makeup as she thought her outfit alone made her beautiful already.

Mariah: Stunning Alexis.

Natalie: Gary's gonna love your look.

Alexis: *giggle* Thanks.

Natalie: Now how about me?

Natalie had gone with a purple Prom dress that stopped below her knees, a gold ring shaped belt around her waist and a pair of light gray heeled shoes. She also chose not to put on any makeup either.

Alexis: You look beautiful Nat.

Mariah: Boy I'll say. Matt's bound to pass when he sees you.

At that exact moment, there came a knock at the door.

Natalie: That must be them.

Natalie opened the door to reveal Matthew, Gary, and Jonah. As soon as the guys saw their dresses, they immediately started to blush.

Gary: *whistles*

Jonah: Look at you girls.

Matthew: Looking beautiful as ever.

The girls all giggled at this.

Natalie: You guys are too sweet.

Matthew: Yea...So, you guys ready for Prom?

All: You bet!

Matthew: Well, what are we waiting for? A train? Let's go!

So the gang walked out of Natalie's room and began making their way down the hallway towards the gym, when suddenly they saw something strange in front of them.

Gary: Umm...you guys seeing what I'm seeing?

Alexis: I think we are.

Matthew: It's Brandon...standing at Stephanie's room...wearing a suit...

They went back into Natalie's room and watched from afar. Brandon knocked on Stephanie's door and waited for an answer. A second later, the door opened to reveal Stephanie wearing a light blue dress that hung from one shoulder and went down to the floor, white heeled shoes, and lip gloss and blue eye shadow for looks.

Brandon: Wow...you look...amazing.

Stephanie: Thanks. You look handsome yourself.

Brandon: Thanks. Shall we get going?

Stephanie: Yes we shall.

So together, the two "rivals" walked away towards the gym. The gang saw everything and weren't quite sure what to make of it.

Mariah: I think I need my eyeballs checked or something.

Matthew: Maybe my glasses were smudged...oh wait...they weren't. What was that?

Jonah: Was that Brandon...being nice? And going with Stephanie?

Natalie: I don't like the looks of this. It could be another one of their schemes to break me and Matt up.

Matthew: It could be, but we don't know. Let's all be a little more mindful when we're around them, got it?

All: Got it.

Matthew: Ok. Now let's put all that aside and go and have some fun.

Pushing what they saw to the back of their heads, the gang made their way down towards the gym. When they arrived, they were amazed by the scene. There was the DJ stand on the far end of the gym, rainbow colored strobe lights, music blaring out from the massive speakers, and a few props to go along with the "Moonlight Paris" Prom theme.

All: Woooooow.

Alexis: Awesome setup here.

Gary: Boy I'll say.

Suddenly, Matthew noticed something.

Matthew: Guys, tell me who you see manning the DJ stand.

The gang looked at who was behind the stand and were shocked to see it was...

All: MRS. BELPOIS?!

Jeremy: That's right youngsters.

The gang jumped and turned to their left to see Jeremy standing next to them, but he wasn't alone. With him were Ulrich, Yumi, William, and Odd.

Jeremy: Nice of you all to join the party.

Jonah: Mr. Belpois, not trying to sound rude or anything but, what your friends doing here and why is Mrs. Belpois running the DJ stand?

Jeremy: I'm glad you asked Jonah. You all must have heard about the school being a little short on chaperons and a DJ right? Well, Ulrich and I suggested to Principle Hamilton to have my wife run the DJ stand and have my friends be the chaperons. My wife used to work as the opening act for The SubDigitals after all.

Alexis: I've heard of them! I never knew that Mrs. Belpois was their opening act.

Odd: You should hear some of her mixes. They've become pretty popular ever since she released them on the Internet.

Jeremy: Moving right along. There's also another reason why I've brought my friends here. It's to show them the progress that's been made on XANA's code and Franz Hopper's program. Plus, I want to try and figure out how XANA's last attack went undetected by the Super Scan.

Matthew: Yeah, that was pretty weird. It's a good thing we figured it out. Otherwise, I'd be back in the States by now.

Jeremy: And we can't have that happen. Anyway, you all go and have yourselves a good time and leave us to work.

Natalie: Sounds like a good plan to me!

With that, the gang hurried towards the crowd to get in on the action. However, trouble was brewing...in the shape of XANA.

* * *

**Lyoko-Unknown Location**

In his tower, XANA looked through his interface at the crowd of people within the gym. He looked around and saw the gang dancing around. More specifically, he found Matthew.

XANA: Heh heh heh. There he is. That pathetic warrior has hampered my plans for far too long now. He's much stronger than I anticipated, but there will be no way that he nor his friends can stop this attack.

Normally when XANA would attack, he would activate a tower for him to enter Earth. But this time, a tower wasn't activated in any of the 5 Sectors. Instead, the tower that XANA was in was activated and just like last time, it went undetected by the Super Scan. XANA also launched a materialization program and then vanished in a vortex of black smoke. In the scanner room of the factory, one of the scanners opened up and out came a very large monster. One that the old warriors have seen a few times before. The monster made its way out of the scanner room and eventually out of the factory, heading towards Kadic.

* * *

**Kadic Academy-Gymnasium**

This was all going on completely unbeknownst to the warriors or any of the students and staff. They were all too busy having fun at the Prom. Within the crowd of students, Brandon was dancing to one of Aelita's songs with Stephanie. For the first time in a long time, Brandon felt happy. He felt happy being around Stephanie. It made him feel...complete. Stephanie was thinking the same thing. She was feeling something that she felt when she first saw Matt. Only with Brandon, it felt right. She made her feel happy and she content with being with him.

Stephanie: I'm having so much fun with you!

Brandon: I am to! I'm having a good time!

They continued to dance until the song ended and they went to get a drink. The gang was watching them a further distance away and still couldn't wrap their heads around what they were seeing.

Gary: This is weird guys. Our two biggest rivals are having fun dancing together.

Jonah: ...Maybe...they're in love with each other.

Gary slapped him on the back of the head.

Gary: Are you mad?!

Alexis: Why would Brandon and Stephanie fall in love with each other?

Mariah: Yeah. They're obviously after Matt and Natalie.

Jonah: I'm just saying guys. You never know.

Matthew and Natalie had wisely decided to stay away from the situation.

Matthew: I rather not deal with that nonsense tonight. I just wanna be hear with you.

Natalie: So do I.

Just then, Aelita started playing a slow song and instantly, the couple started dancing in slow circles. Over at the drink table, Brandon spotted Matthew and Natalie dancing in the distance. He thought back to what he and Stephanie discussed last night.

Brandon: Stephanie, I think now's our best chance to try and apologize to them.

Stephanie: You sure about that?

Brandon: No...but it's worth a try.

Stephanie: Well alright. I'm in.

So the two walked through the crowd, past Gary, Jonah, Alexis, and Mariah and over towards Matthew and Natalie.

Gary: Be ready to intervene in case thing get out of hand between them.

But to their surprise, nothing was happening between the 4. Matthew suddenly notice them walking towards them and stopped dancing. Natalie was confused until see turned around and saw them to. They started to get defensive.

Brandon: Hey Matt and Nat.

Matthew: Hey Brandon and Steph...What are you two doing here? Trying to ruin our relationship again?

Stephanie: Look I know you guys are still mad about that and...

Natalie: You bet we're still mad and there's no way we're going to forgive you for what you've done.

Matthew: You guys can apologize all you want. It's not going to change our minds. Once you're our enemies, you stay our enemies. Now goodnight to ya.

With that, the couple pushed their way through the crowd to rejoin their friends, leaving Brandon and Stephanie sad and disappointed.

Stephanie: Well that didn't go as well as I had hoped.

Brandon: Maybe they're just not ready to listen. Come on, let's leave them be and go back to having some fun.

Stephanie smiled at this and started dancing once again with Brandon. Meanwhile, Matthew and Natalie found their friends further away from their rivals.

Alexis: So what went down?

Matthew: Not much was said.

Natalie: We just told them to stay out of our way.

Mariah: Well at least that's settled. Now let's back to having some fun.

The gang went back to dancing to the slow song and a couple of minutes later, the song ended. Aelita then put in an upbeat jazzy song and the crowd began to dance again. Over at the far end of the gym, Jeremy was explaining his progress made with XANA's code and Hopper's program to his friends. Of course, they couldn't understand it and they didn't have Aelita with them to translate for them. So they just acted like they knew what he was jabbering about.

Jeremy: So, any questions?

Yumi: I got one. What do you think happened with XANA's last attack going unnoticed?

Jeremy: That is an answer I wish I had, although I have a theory. Maybe XANA somehow manipulated the Super Scan making his attacks go undetected or maybe the Scan needs an upgrade. Like I said, I wish I knew.

The old warriors continued to ponder on Jeremy's theories before going back to chaperoning the Prom. However, unknown to any of them, the monster that XANA sent to Earth was now hiding within the trees and bushes of the park. Back inside the gym, the gang were still swinging along to the Aelita's music when suddenly, Matthew felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He immediately stopped dancing and pulled out his phone, much to the confusion of his friends.

Natalie: Something wrong Matt?

Matthew: Someone's trying to call me but I don't recognize the number.

Gary: Could it be someone you know perhaps?

Matthew: It might be Nathaniel trying to call me. I don't have his number after all so it might be him.

He turned to Natalie.

Matthew: I'm gonna step outside and take this call and come back in a few minutes.

Natalie: Okay, I'll wait for you here.

Matthew nodded and pushed his way through the crowd and out the side doors of the gym near the park. Once everything was quiet, he answered the call.

Matthew: Hello?

However, Matthew received no answer. Just then sound of deep breathing.

Matthew: Hello? Who is this?

_?: You should already know who I am._

Matthew: What? Is that you Brandon? Is this another one of your tricks?

_?:__ I am not the one you call Brandon. Instead, I am one who has brought you and your worthless friends chaos in your lives._

Matthew: Who are you and what do you want?! I demand to know!

_?:__ You still haven't figured it out yet? That's a shame. Maybe this will answer your question._

And just like that, the mysterious person hung up the call.

Matthew: Hello? HELLO?!

Matthew was getting more confused.

Matthew: What will answer my question? I don't see anything out here.

But Matthew was about to be proven terribly wrong. He was just about to make his way back inside the gym, when he heard a strange noise coming from the within the park. It sounded like a strange screeching noise combined with a slimy sound.

Matthew: Is...is someone there?

The noise started to get louder. Then suddenly, from out of the bushes, floated a giant jellyfish like monster that looked to be about 30 feet tall. It had a large bulb shaped head that sat on top of a purple body that pointed downward and several tentacles coming out from it. But the one clue that gave Matthew his answer was the large XANA eye that was planted on the front of the monster. Matthew was now very frightened.

Matthew: What on Earth is that?!

Then he heard a voice that seemed to come from out of nowhere.

?: Have you figured it out yet? Do you know who I am now?

Matthew: No...no it can't be...no way...

?: You have spoiled my plans for world domination for the last time. You have shown yourself to be the strongest out of your friends. And with that strength you have, it will help me greatly in achieving victory.

Matthew: Wh...what are you saying? What do you want with me?

Suddenly from out of the bushes, a giant dark energy orb flew out and hit a nearby power box that supplied power to the gym. Matthew was now very scared. Then suddenly, the monster wrapped its tentacles around Matthew and slowly lifted him off the ground. Then three more of its tentacles positioned themselves at Matthew's forehead and both sides of his head.

?: It's not what I'm wanting. It's what I am forcing. *evil laugh*

Suddenly, the tentacles turned red and seemed to be doing something to him. Back in the gym, the students and staff were all very surprised by the sudden power outage. The students complained amongst themselves while Jeremy and Ulrich fumbled around for their flashlights. Then they, along with Yumi, Odd, and William, made their way up onto Aelita's DJ stand to address the crowd.

Jeremy: EVERYONE QUIET PLEASE!

The crowd instantly went silent.

Natalie: What happened Mr. Belpois?

Jeremy: It seems that somehow we've lost all power to the gym, but stay calm everyone. We're going to try our best to...

Matthew: AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!

Suddenly, everyone heard a loud scream coming from the outside of the gym.

Yumi: What was that?!

Jeremy: That sounded like Matthew screaming. Come on he could be in trouble!

The gang heard them say Matthew's name and immediately grew worried. The old warriors ran for the door, with the gang and the rest of the students in tow, and pushed their way outside. But when they got there, they saw the biggest shock of their lives. There was Matthew being held by the jellyfish monster with its red tentacles wrapped around him. Suddenly, horrible memories of encounters with that same monster ran through the old warrior's heads, but mostly Yumi, William, and Aelita. The gang were shocked to see a monster such as this and the rest of the students didn't know what the heck was going on. Finally Odd spoke.

Odd: Jeremy...please tell me I'm not seeing what I think I'm seeing.

Jeremy: I think you are Odd and I think all of us are.

Old Warriors: THE SCYPHOZOA!

And it was. The Scyphozoa was back, but this time not on Lyoko, but on Earth. Then suddenly, everyone heard a sudden evil laughter.

?: HA HA HA! So you warriors have here at last. So good of you all to join us.

The warriors and the students were confused, but Aelita somehow recognized that voice.

Aelita: _(to herself) No...no it can't be..._

Flashbacks of her time in the Simulation Bubble started to flood back through her brain. She remembered hearing that same voice when she was in her simulation prison. Reality suddenly hit her.

Aelita: Jeremy, I know that voice!

Jeremy: What you do? Who is it?

Aelita: It's...it's XANA!

Jeremy: WHAT?!

Suddenly, a loud clap of thunder roared around the campus and a thin layer of black smoke started to form on beside the Scyphozoa. It then started swirling around in a vortex and a loud demonic laugh could be heard within. Then in a split second, the smoke cleared and there he was. XANA himself.

Warriors: XANA!

XANA: thank you very much Aelita for helping your moronic friends figure it out.

Alexis: What have you done to Matthew?!

XANA: Seems to me that your elders haven't told you the story of William have they?

The gang grew confused.

Alexis: What is he talking about?

Ulrich: XANA used the Scyphozoa to possess William and make him his slave against his will. He also used it to steal Aelita's memory.

Now the gang grew worried.

Mariah: So...he's possessing him?

XANA: SURPRISE!

Ulrich: Hang on Matt. I'll help ya.

Ulrich saw a nearby shovel leaning against the wall. He grabbed it and charged at the monster. But XANA was quick to react as he fired a dark energy orb at him, hitting him in his chest and knocking him away from Matthew.

XANA: Not this time Ulrich. Matthew will be mine. His strength is impeccable and will be a wonderful slave to me and will help me achieve my ultimate goal of global dominance.

Gary: Why you no good...LET MY MATE GO XANA!

Gary charged at XANA and jumped forward to try and tackle him to the ground. But instead, he went right through him.

Gary: Huh? But how?

XANA: Foolish boy. You can't attack me. I'm in specter form and can still use my powers here on Earth. Besides, you're all too late anyway.

XANA snapped his fingers and disappeared in a cloud of smoke. When he was gone, the Scyphozoa released Matthew and retreated back into the woods. He dropped towards the ground and fell on all fours breathing heavily. Natalie ran over to him.

Natalie: Matthew! Matthew, are you okay?

Matthew didn't respond. He kept breathing heavily.

Natalie: ...Matthew?

Suddenly, Matthew turned around to face Natalie. But what Natalie saw was frightening. Instead of looking at his dark brown eyes, she was now looking into XANA's eye. Matthew shoved her backwards towards the students who caught her before she hit the wall. He then jumped back on his feet and stared coldly at the gang, the students and the old warriors. He summoned a large dark energy field from his right hand and fired it straight at the crowd. Everyone jumped out of the way as the orb collided with the wall, leaving a large hole in the wall. Matthew chuckled in his now demonic voice as he summoned an even bigger energy orb from both of his hands, but this time fired it straight into the sky. The energy orb exploded in the sky causing thunder to roll and lighting to flash all around. Then, a black smokey vortex slowly descended from above. Matthew started to levitate slightly off the ground as the vortex consumed him. The wind grew stronger and small lightning strikes formed around it. Everyone could here Matthew groaning inside the vortex. Then they heard XANA's voice again.

XANA: It's too late Lyoko Warriors. Matthew Stephenson is now mine!

The smokey tornado suddenly vanished and everyone could see Matthew floating about 5 feet above the ground curled up in a ball. Then suddenly, his eyes shot open and he stood straight back up again screaming to the heavens. A dim red light emerged from his chest as he yelled. Then suddenly, his Prom suit began to disintegrate and be replaced by another outfit. By the time he stopped yelling, he was in another set of clothes. It was his Lyoko outfit, but a different version. His normal black outfit stayed the same, but the white lightning strikes and blue outlines were gone and were replaced by solid red lines that went from the bottom of his black boots, up the sides of his outfit before meeting in the middle where a red XANA eye was now present. In his hands were his two War Hammers, now with XANA's eye imprinted on both hammer heads. The students stared at him in pure fear and began to back away slowly. But then, Matthew banged his hammer heads together and transformed them to his large William like sword, that also had XANA's eye at the base of it. Then, the blade started to glow dark red and his eyes shot open once again. The gang and the old warriors cowarded in fear as they knew what was about to happen.

Gary: EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELF!

XANA Matthew: ELECTROSLASH!

Matthew swung his blade as hard as he could and a red and white electric slash shot out of his sword and towards the crowd. They jumped away just in time, but the electric slash collided with the same wall causing a massive explosion and sending bricks and dust everywhere. The explosion also knocked out a few students, but not the warriors. While the smoke was still thick, Matthew used this as his chance to escape. Still levitating, he flew away towards the factory. The smoke began to clear slightly and the warriors started to get back on their feet.

William: Is everyone alright? Any injuries?

Jonah: A little shaken but alive and well.

Odd: Wait...where's Matthew?

The warriors looked at the last place they saw him and saw that he was gone. Suddenly, Jeremy realized something.

Jeremy: LYOKO! Matthew's heading for Lyoko! XANA must want him to destroy Lyoko so that we can't stop him.

Gary: Well we gotta get there fast! Come on!

So the warriors hightailed it towards the sewers leading to the factory. Meanwhile in the scanner room, Matthew was already on his way to Lyoko. He had started up a self-virtualization program to Sector 5 a few moments earlier and now was standing inside the now closing scanner. Moments later, the scanner whirred into life and within seconds Matthew was virtualized in Sector 5, while XANA was watching him from his tower giving him commands.

XANA: Good work Matthew. Now, destroy the Core of Lyoko.

XANA Matthew: Yes Lord XANA.

Once the dome's door opened, Matthew took off running through the arena of Sector 5 towards the core, while up in the factory, the warriors had finally reached the lab. Jeremy quickly ran to the computer while the rest of the warriors descended down to the scanner room.

Jeremy: Bad news guys, Matthew's already on his way towards the core of Lyoko. He's nearly at the Celestial Dome.

Ulrich: No time to lose Jeremy!

Jeremy: Right! Transfer Ulrich. Transfer Yumi. Transfer Aelita. Scanner Ulrich. Scanner Yumi. Scanner Aelita. Virtualization!

* * *

**Lyoko-Sector 5**

In no time at all, the 3 warriors dropped down into Sector 5 and waited for anxiously for the other warriors to arrive. It only took a minute for the rest of them to get there, but to them, it felt like an eternity. But finally, all 10 warriors were on Lyoko.

Jeremy: Get moving guys. He's already at the Celestial Dome!

Ulrich: You heard the man. Let's move people!

Without wasting another second, the 10 warriors ran as fast as they could towards the Core Room. They navigated through the arena of Sector 5, which today consisted of platform jumping and eventually made their way up the elevator and to the Celestial Dome where they vehicles were waiting. But by the time they got there, Matthew was already at the top of the Core Room along with 4 Mantas ready to attack the Core of Lyoko.

XANA Matthew: FOR XANA!

The Mantas screeched in agreement as Matthew charged up his large sword.

XANA Matthew: FIRE!

Matthew and the Mantas all fired at the same time and instantly destroyed the first shield layer.

Jeremy: Move it guys! The first shield layer just blew!

Luckily, the warriors were already entering the South Pole of Sector 5 and eventually made it to the upward climb towards the Core Room. They quickly left their vehicles and ascended the stairwell to see Matthew and the Mantis ready to fire again.

Natalie: MATTHEW NO!

The XANAfied warrior heard Natalie yell. He looked down and saw the warriors all standing there. XANA saw them to through his interface.

XANA: Attack!

Matthew complied as he changed his sword back into his duel hammers. He charged them up and dropped down from above towards the warriors.

XANA Matthew: SHOCKWAVE!

He slammed his hammers on the ground sending out a massive shockwave. Most of the warriors jumped over the shockwave just in time, but Odd, Yumi, and William weren't so lucky as the wave slammed into them, devirtualizing them in an instant. They arrived back in the scanner room moments later.

Odd: Ok...did not see that one coming.

William: XANA was right when he said how powerful Matt was.

Yumi: I just hope the others can stop him.

But it was proving to be a tough fight for the warriors.

XANA Matthew: Mantas attack!

All four Mantas flew down from the core and started to attack the remaining 7 warriors. 2 of the Mantas went after Jonah and Mariah while the other 2 Mantas went for Gary and Alexis. That left Ulrich, Aelita, and Natalie to deal with Matthew.

Natalie: Matthew please listen to us. XANA has taken control of you. He's the enemy, we're your friends!

XANA Matthew: That name no longer works along side you. This is all for XANA!

Matthew summoned his giant sword and starting swinging at all 3 of them. Aelita launched a few Energy Fields, but Matthew ended up blocking them and made them bounce off his sword and colliding with Aelita, devirtualizing her next.

Ulrich: AELITA! Grr...SUPER SPRINT!

Ulrich charged at Matthew head on and started to swing his twin blades in an attempt to stop him. But Matthew was skilled when it came to counterattacking. He blocked all of Ulrich's blows and when he saw his chance, he roundhouse kicked him to the ground and jabbed his giant blade through his chest and devirtualized him to.

Natalie: I'm sorry Matthew, but that's enough out of you. WINDSLASH!

XANA Matthew: Huh? AAH!

Matthew got knocked back by Natalie's WindSlash power, which cost him 20 of his lifepoints. He jumped back on his feet and prepared himself for a fight.

XANA Matthew: You'll regret that Natalie!

Natalie: You may be my boyfriend, but there's no way I'm going to let you win this time.

Natalie charged in at Matthew swinging her duel blades at him, while Matthew ducked, dodged, and blocked as much as he could. Meanwhile, Gary and Alexis were having trouble dealing with the Mantas. They couldn't get a good shot on them, due to them flying around too much.

Gary: Dang it Mantas, just die already!

Gary, out of frustration, threw one of his boomerangs at one of the Mantas, and by sheer luck, the boomerang struck the XANA eye and caused the first of the 2 Mantas to explode.

Gary: FINALLY! One down, one to go. OOF!

Suddenly, Gary got shot twice in the back by the other Manta causing him to be devirtualized and leaving Alexis on her own.

Alexis: Oh come on. Where's our A-game?

Alexis used her Invisibility to confuse the Manta. It worked, as the flying monster had no idea where she went. Alexis used her assassin like skills to run up the wall and jump onto the Manta and reappear. But the Manta felt her on top of it. It started flailing about and caused her to fall off its back and land onto the ground hard enough for her to lose 50 of her lifepoints. She looked up and saw it diving straight towards her and charging up its laser. Thinking fast, she grabbed one of her daggers and threw it up at the Manta, just as the monster fired its laser at her. Her dagger went through the Manta and the laser struck her in the stomach, causing both of them to be devirtualized and destroyed. Over with Jonah and Mariah, they too were having difficulties with destroying the last 2 Mantas. They tried their best, but it wasn't good enough. Jonah saw a Manta come down towards him. He got his Axe ready and was just about to strike when out of the nowhere, the second Manta fired it laser at him a couple of time in the chest and devirtualized him. Mariah was not happy at all and it showed when she fired blindly at the two Mantas and was able to successfully destroy one of them. But them as she was getting ready to fire again, the same thing that happened with Alexis happened to her. She fired her laser cannons at the Manta just as the monster fired a shot at her and they were both destroyed at the same time. That only left Matthew and Natalie. Natalie was putting up a good fight with Matthew and had nearly got him on a couple of occasions. But Matthew fought back hard and was regaining the upper hand. He swiped his giant sword at her multiple times to get her off her game and when she least expected it, Matthew kicked her in the stomach making her fall to the ground. She looked up in fear as Matthew stood over her with his blade in hand.

XANA Matthew: Looks like you lose again Natalie!

And with one quick swipe, he did enough damage to devirtualize her.

Natalie: This isn't the end Matthew. You'll see.

That was all she could say as she was fully devirtualized. She stepped out of the scanner and slowly made her way back up to the lab where everyone else was waiting for her. A few small tears came into her eyes.

Natalie: I'm sorry everyone. I did all I could.

Jeremy: You all did your best, but I'm afraid that it wasn't enough.

XANA: Well done Matthew. Now, finish off Lyoko!

Matthew levitated back up to the top of the Core Room and fired another ElectroSlash at the second shield layer. It blew apart instantly and all that remained was the core. He floated his way up to the core and got ready to deliver the final blow. The warriors were watching everything play out.

Jeremy: Looks like XANA's won. Good-bye Lyoko.

XANA: Finally! Victory is mine!

But XANA was wrong. Just as Matthew was about to end Lyoko, from out of nowhere a large purple and white energy orb floated up behind him. Jeremy saw this and gasped.

Jeremy: Guys look at this!

The warriors looked at what Jeremy was referring to. The old warriors instantly knew what it was but the gang had no clue.

Gary: What is that?

Aelita: ...Daddy?

The gang gasped.

Mariah: Woah woah woah hang on a second. Did she say "Daddy?" As in...

Jeremy: Franz Hopper!

It was indeed Franz Hopper. Matthew felt that someone else was with him and when he turned around, he gasped as he saw the Lyoko Creator floating behind him. XANA couldn't believe what he was witnessing either.

XANA: WHAT?! IMPOSSIBLE! MY MANTAS DESTROYED HIM YEARS AGO! HOW DID HE SURVIVE?! MATTHEW FINISH HIM!

Matthew charged up his blade and fired another ElectroSlash at Hopper, but the Creator moved out of the way just in time and made his move. He knocked Matthew out of the air and the XANAfied warrior plummeted down the Core Room, hitting the floor hard enough for him to be devirtualized in a cloud of smoke. XANA was appalled.

XANA: NOOOO! MY ONE CHANCE AT VICTORY FOILED! Grr...HOOOOOOPPER!

XANA yelled loudly as he turned off his interface and disappeared from his tower. The warriors in the lab however were amazed.

Mariah: What just happened?

Jeremy: Hopper stopped Matthew and saved Lyoko.

Jonah: But what about Matthew?

Jeremy: He's been devirtualized, but he won't be coming back here. He'll be going back to his new master...XANA.

Ulrich: This is just like XANA possessing William all over again.

William: Stop bringing that up will ya!

Gary: What about the school sir? We can't just leave it damaged like that.

Jeremy: You're right. A return to the past should help.

So Jeremy began running the return to the past program and within a few seconds, he was ready.

Jeremy: Return to the past now!

He pressed the ENTER key...but nothing happened.

Jeremy: Huh?...Uhh...Return to the past now!

He tried again and still nothing.

Jeremy: Return to the past now?

He tried several more times but again, the program didn't run.

Jeremy: Oh no this isn't good. The return to the past isn't working. XANA must have corrupted it or something and is preventing us from using it.

Odd: Well what does that mean?

Jeremy: If XANA attacks and the return to the past doesn't work, all of XANA's chaos will remain on Earth.

The warriors gasped in horror at this realization. Suddenly, the computer started to show an encrypted message. It was coming from Franz Hopper.

Aelita: Here Jeremy, let me try to decipher it.

So Jeremy moved out of the seat and let Aelita work on the message. It didn't take long for the message to become clear as Aelita read it out to the warriors.

Aelita: _This is Franz Hopper sending you all this message. With Matthew now XANA's slave, there is no doubt that he will use him to keep you all from stopping XANA. You need to get to XANA's world before it's too late. I'm not sure what he's planning, but one thing's for sure, it can't be good. I can help you all crack the code to his world, but I can only do it if I'm on Earth. So Jeremy, you must work you're absolute hardest to bring me back home. Otherwise, the world will fall under XANA's reign. -Franz Hopper_

Jeremy: I know what I must do now. And I'm sure you all know what to do as well. Only this time, we're going to have to be on our guard now more than ever before. With the return to the past program disabled, it's going to be absolutely crucial that we stop XANA's attacks quicker.

All: YES SIR!

Meanwhile in a factory far away, Matthew had emerged from a scanner and when he stepped out, XANA was there waiting for him.

XANA: I have a new task for you my servant. Franz Hopper is somehow alive. Along with keeping the warriors from getting to my world and disrupting my plans, I want you to end Franz Hopper for good.

XANA Matthew: As you wish Lord XANA.

* * *

**There it is, Chapter #50. What did you guys think? Did it surprise you like I had hoped? I certainly hope it did, but I also hope that you all enjoyed reading this chapter. If you did, be sure to leave a review, follow and favorite the story. That would make me a very happy author. And before I leave, I know I said this a few time already, but thank you guys so much for making this story what it is today. Yes I know that I'm the one whose writing these chapters for you guys to read, but it's all you guys who have supported me and kept driving me forward into continuing this story. It just blows my mind the amount of support I'm receiving from you guys and I just want to again say, thank you thank you thank you for showing your support and just keeping this story going to what it is now. When I began this series way back in February this year, I never thought that I would find myself having this amount of love and support for this story nor would have thought that it would now be 50 chapters long. And it's all because of you guys again just showing your love through your reviews, your PM's and just following and favoriting the story. So from the bottom of my heart, thank you guys so much for not only reading and loving the chapter, but the story as a whole. You guys again are the absolute greatest.**

**But enough of the soap opera. I hope you all enjoyed Chapter 50 of New Youth. I'll try to get #51 out as soon as possible, but don't expect it to be like within the next week or so. I'm not running short on some ideas for later chapters. I've gotten a few already, but they might be used towards the end of the series. But all that aside, thank you guys so much for reading and enjoying this chapter.**

**More to come hopefully soon! But until then, as always, FakeACU83 OUT!**


	51. The Aftermath

_**Chapter 51: The Aftermath**_

***NEWS Music plays***

NEWS Anchor: Good morning everyone, it is Sunday April 26th 8 o'clock AM on the dot. Welcome to Channel 6 NEWS, France's home for all of the top stories. And boy do we have a big story for you all this morning. We're following Breaking NEWS out of a private school known as Kadic Academy and while it's quite bizarre, it is also quite disturbing. For more on this overnight story, we go to our reporter LIVE on the scene.

Reporter: Thank you very much. We're following a truly bizarre and frightening situation that happened last night around 7:45 PM here at the gymnasium of Kadic Academy. The school was holding its annual Prom that evening when suddenly, the school fell under attack by one of its students. And before you even begin to think that this student went AWOL on his own school, think again. From what some of the teachers and other students have said, this student was possessed. To prove it, we have video footage from one of the school's security cameras that were pointed directly at the situation.

The NEWS Channel started to show everything that happened last night from the security camera. Including the possession of Matthew.

Reporter: You can see here, that the student who would later be possessed was coming out of the gym and pulling out his cell phone answering a call. And if we fast forward the tape a minute or two, you can faintly see the stunned reaction on his face as it seemed that his phone shut off on him unexpectedly. He then turned to head back inside the gym when it appears that he stopped for some reason and looking out into the park that was next to the campus. You can see a slight look of worry on his face and then this is where the scary stuff happens. A few seconds later, you can see a very large and disturbing looking jellyfish-like "alien" as some were calling it. The if you look carefully, you can very faintly see a large orb of some sort shoot out of the woods and collide with the gym's power box, which in turned caused the gym to lose all power. Then it's tentacles wrapped around the student and then suddenly turned a dark red. That's what the witnesses were saying as the beginning of some sort of possession. At that point, the staff and students rushed outside of the gym and that's where everyone of them saw it happen.

The reporter continued to explain the video out to the world, but there was one thing that the camera could barely show. It couldn't show XANA appearing beside the Scyphozoa because the giant monster ended up blocking him out of the shot. But it did show Ulrich picking up the shovel and trying to whack XANA down and Gary trying to tackle him to the ground, only to end up failing. Then came Matt's attack.

Reporter: Now the "alien" is leaving the scene and you can see one of the students, who was the young boy's girlfriend, rush over to him and try to help him up, only to be knocked back by the boy with almost superhuman like strength. Then the boy opened fire on the crowd of people with some sort of energy orbs that appeared out of his hands. Then he fired one into the sky and a strange vortex came down and consumed him. And by the time he reappeared, he wasn't wearing his suit anymore, but some sort of outfit that we, at the moment, can't seem to decipher from where the camera was pointed. But we can show that the student was floating slightly off the ground and holding a large sword. Then at this point, he swung the weapon at the crowd and somehow caused a giant explosion...and that was it. The camera lost it's connection after the blast.

The NEWS Channel then changed back to camera showing the reporter standing in front of the gym.

Reporter: The young boy's name is Matthew Stephenson, a 16 year old freshman who moved from the United States to France back in August of last year. He work's as a Formula 1 test driver for a new French team Hardy-DuBois F1 that's based over in Le Mans. A little earlier, we caught up with the team's Head Principle Benjamin Hardy and asked him for his opinion on the situation.

Benjamin: I never knew what was happening last night at Kadic with Matthew. I just pray that he's okay and hope to the Good Lord that he will make it home safe and sound and hope that the one's who did this to him and his school are stopped.

Reporter: Young Matthew was attending Prom with his friends and his girlfriend before all of this happened. He is also good friends with two of the teacher's at Kadic, the gym teacher Ulrich Stern and the Computer Science teacher Jeremy Belpois. We wanted to get their word on the situation, but they along with Matthew's friends, respectfully declined the interview. As of now, the police are investigating the scene for any clues as to Matthew's whereabouts now and France's Space Program is looking hard out into Outer Space for possible clues of alien lifeforms. We will have more information on this story when it becomes available to us. Back to you.

NEWS Anchor: Thank you for that report. In other NEWS...

Jeremy turned off the TV in his classroom and sighed heavily, placing his heads in both of his hands. The rest of the warriors where there with him, all feeling the same way Jeremy was. Confused, depressed, sadden, and angered. Aelita walked up behind him and soothingly massaged his shoulders to try and calm him down a bit.

Jeremy: I just don't understand why this could have happened. XANA sneak attacked us again, which means that he activated a tower somewhere on Lyoko and again, the SuperScan didn't pick it up. And now Matthew's with XANA, obeying who knows what kind of orders he's giving him.

Mariah: Is there anything we can do to bring him back? How did you all end up getting Mr. Dunbar back home after he was possessed?

Aelita: Jeremy created a program to free William, but we had to go destroy one of the Replicas that was still there and devirtualize William at the same time in order for it to work. The fight was tough as William brought in the Kolossus with him to try and prevent that from happening.

Jonah: That big volcanic monster that you explained to us a few months ago?

Aelita: That's the one. Anyway, we were able to destroy the Replica and devirtualize William and when he emerged from the scanners, he was back to normal.

Alexis: How long did it take to make that program Mr. Belpois?

Jeremy: *sigh* About...5-6 months I believe. That's another problem. You all read Franz Hopper's message. I have to finish his materialization program AND work on another program to bring Matthew back. You guys have no idea how much I have to do in the so little time that I have!

Odd: Easy there Einstein.

Jeremy: *sigh* Sorry guys. I'm just really under a lot of stress now. I have to finish Hopper's program first, then I need to start on Matthew's program. Plus on top of that, XANA could be making more Replicas for all we know.

Yumi: What for?

Jeremy: He could be making them to create more of those robot werewolves that you all saw that one day I wasn't here.

Yumi: ...Oh yeah.

Gary: If I may ask sir, how much longer do you think it will take to finish Hopper's materialization thing?

Jeremy: Well luckily I was already about halfway done with it before the attack happened. But that still means I have another half of the program to finish, which could take me...I don't know a few weeks or 2 months at the most. But, I'm going to try my best to finish it sooner than that. Any chance I get throughout the day to work on it, I'm gonna take it. Rest assured everyone, we're going to bring Franz Hopper home, we're going to stop Matthew's possession, and we're to find XANA's core and destroy it and XANA once and for all. Now, who's with me?

Jeremy extended his arm out straight and Aelita placed her hand on top of his. The rest of the warriors figured out what they were doing as Ulrich, Odd, Yumi, William, Natalie, Gary, Jonah, Alexis, and Mariah placed their hands on top of each other.

Jeremy: For Matthew everyone.

All: FOR MATTHEW!

* * *

**And so begins the fight against XANA and Matthew. How will our heroes fare against their friend and will they be able to bring Franz Hopper and Matthew home and stop XANA for good? Be sure to stay tuned to find out. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, despite it being shorter than usual. But sometimes, short chapters happen. But either way, I do hope that you guys enjoyed it and be sure to tell me via a review or a PM. Be sure to stick around for Chapter 52 coming soon.**

**Until then, as always, FakeACU83 OUT!**


	52. The Following Weeks

_**Chapter 52: The Following Weeks**_

**3 Weeks Later**

**Monday-May 18th**

The weeks past and still the school was trying to put Prom's attack behind them. Most of the students and staff were able to continue on with their normal routine, while the gang of course worried tremendously about their captured friend. Since the attack, Jeremy made himself a commitment to finishing Franz Hopper's materialization as quick as he possibly could. But that of course took a bit of time. But on the bright side, within the last 3 weeks, he has been working nonstop on the program and was nearly done with it completely and soon, it would be ready to be launched. He was talking to Aelita over the phone about it during the lunch period.

_Aelita: Are you quite sure about it Jeremy?_

Jeremy: I'm telling you Aelita, I've almost got the program done. In fact, if I keep working on it throughout the rest of the day, I can get it completely finished before I head to bed.

_Aelita: Well that's great Jeremy but...how do you know that's it's going to work?_

Jeremy: Unlike your materialization program where I could run various tests on it to make sure that all of the calculations and such were correct, I can't seem to do that with your father's program. Most likely because he doesn't take on a specific Lyoko warrior form like you and the others. The only way to find out if it works or not is to test it out on your father right then and there.

_Aelita: Well...I guess that makes sense._

Jeremy: Don't worry Aelita. Your father will return to Earth before you know it. And then you two will finally be reunited after 30 years. Just like you always wanted.

Aelita smiled on the other end of the line.

_Aelita: Thank you Jeremy. Thank you so much._

Jeremy: You're welcome Aelita. Now I gotta run. If I want to try to finish this before bedtime, I better get back to work.

_Aelita: Ok Jeremy. I'll leave you to it. See you when you get home tonight. I love you._

Jeremy: I love you to. Bye.

Jeremy ended the call with his wife and immediately set back to work. Meanwhile in the principle's office, Mr. Hamilton was another one of the staff members who still had Prom's attack engraved in his mind. And to sum it all up, it was starting to overwhelm him a bit.

Mr. Hamilton: I just don't understand how all this could have happened. And to such a wonderful student like Stephenson. And the rest of the students having to witness those events must have taken quite a toll on them as well.

Mr. Hamilton was contemplating ways of how he and the rest of the students and staff can push Prom out of their minds. He then suddenly had a bright idea.

Mr. Hamilton: Hmmm...maybe that could work...Yes, yes that would work wonderfully.

He quickly wrote down his idea on a pad of paper so he wouldn't forget. Over in the cafeteria, all of the students were sitting at their tables enjoying a hardy portion of food. Well...nearly everyone.

Natalie: You guys think that Matthew's going to be okay?

Jonah: With XANA controlling the boy? Doubt it.

Natalie: I was afraid you would say that.

Natalie hung her head down low. Mariah, who was sitting next to her, gave her a comforting hug.

Mariah: Matthew may be under XANA's control, but we have something that XANA doesn't have.

Gary: What might that be?

Mariah: We have Lyoko's Creator on our side. Hopper will surely help us find a way to bring Matt home. And need I remind you all that Hopper created XANA years ago? Since he created him, he knows how to destroy him.

Alexis: Point taken Mariah. Point taken.

Just then, they heard the school's intercom turn on and heard Mr. Hamilton's voice.

Mr. Hamilton: *over intercom* Good afternoon students of Kadic Academy. As you're all aware, the recent events that happened a few weeks ago at Prom has taken a toll on the school, staff, and of course you students. But I have come up with a solution to hopefully erase those thoughts. This Friday night, Kadic will host a costume party in the gym from 7 PM to 10 PM. The event was created to provide some entertainment for you all and to hopefully bring you all to a happy train of thought and try to forget Prom's events at least for that evening. There will be music, food, and a "Best Costume Contest" during the festivities. Hope to see you all there. That is all.

The intercom turned off a second later and all the students began discussing the costume party.

Gary: That sounds like fun. I'll definitely be going.

Jonah: Me too! what about you girls?

The girls, however, didn't look as enthusiastic.

Natalie: Umm...I kinda don't want to go.

Mariah: Me either.

Alexis: Or me.

Gary &amp; Jonah: What? Why?

Natalie: Main reason for me is, what if XANA attacks us again at another party just like he did at Prom? I'm sorry, but I don't wanna to risk it.

Gary and Jonah then looked at Mariah and Alexis.

Jonah: What about you two?

Mariah &amp; Alexis: We're with her on this one.

Gary: Well, I can respect you guy's decision.

Jonah: Me too.

Natalie: Thanks guys. I knew you'd understand.

With that, the gang went back to their lunch. Over in the hallways of the campus, Odd was walking down the hallway that led to Jeremy's room. He had a very important question to ask him. When he arrived, he knocked on his classroom's door and waited for a reply. A second later...

Jeremy: Come in!

Odd: Hey Einstein.

Jeremy: Oh hey Odd. What are you doing here?

Odd: Oh you know, just wanting to chat up with my old friend and ask him how Hopper's program is going.

Jeremy: As far as the program goes, I could possibly get it finished up hopefully by tonight.

Odd: Awesome! XANA's in for it now.

Jeremy: Now as far as you "chatting up with me" that's a lie if I ever heard one. What's the real reason you're here?

Odd: Okay you caught me. Here's why I'm here.

So Odd told Jeremy the events that occurred just about an hour ago.

* * *

**1 Hour Earlier**

Odd was in the city walking out of a local music store after having just bought one of Aelita's newest albums. He couldn't wait to get back to his house and start jamming out to his friend's tunes. As he turned a corner along the sidewalk, he accidentally bumped into another person.

Odd: Oops. Sorry 'bout that.

?: Odd? Is that you?

Odd perked up. The voice sounded familiar. He looked up and saw a young woman around the same age as him, with dark skin, black hair with a few red streaks, brown eyes, and wore a dark gray shirt, black pants with a red plaid skirt over it, and black shoes. Odd blushed slightly as memories of the girl swirled around in his brain.

Odd: Samantha Knight?!

Sam: Glad to see you remember me Odd.

Sam smiled sweetly as Odd hopped back to his feet.

Odd: Boy it's awesome to see you again. When was the last time we even spoke or saw each other?

Sam: I think it was the time Kadic was holding that skateboarding contest and I ended up winning.

Odd: Oh yeah I remember. Congrats on that by the way.

Sam: Thanks.

Odd: So, what are you doing here? Last time I heard from you, you were living on the coast.

Sam: Was living on the coast. Now I have my own place.

Odd: Really? How did that happen? I thought your family was poor, no offense.

Sam: None taken. But you're right, we were struggling. But after I went back to school after the skating competition, I was starting to prove myself in my studies. And eventually I got offered a full-time scholarship to a University in Le Havre. I ended up getting a Master's Degree in Personal Financing and now I work here in Boulogne-Billiancourt as a banker. I earned enough cash to eventually buy my own place out on the outskirts of the city.

Odd: That's great to hear. I ended up attending an Art Institute.

Sam: That's pretty cool.

Odd: Thanks.

Sam: Hey by the way, I was planning on holding a house party over at my place and since you're here right now, would you like to come?

Odd: Heck yes I would! When is it?

Sam: This Friday night. Hey and do you think you can bring Jeremy over to help me set up?

Odd: Hmm? Why?

Sam: Because I'm still trying to figure out how to set up all of the sound system equipment and such.

Odd: I see. Well, I'm near Kadic and it's nearly lunchtime, so I think I can get old Einstein to help out.

Sam: You're the best Odd!

She gave him a hug and turned around to walk back home. Odd stood there for a few moments grinning like an idiot, until reality came back to him and he walked off towards Kadic.

* * *

**Present Time**

Jeremy: So let me get this straight. Sam is holding a house party at her house and she wants me to help her set up the sound system?

Odd: Pretty much yeah.

Jeremy: Odd, you know full well that I'm not interested in that kind of nonsense. Besides, I still have a lot of work to do dealing with Franz Hopper and Matthew.

Odd: Oh come on Jeremy please!

Jeremy: Odd, if you're so desperate in finding help, why don't you ask Aelita? She's just as knowledgeable as I am, but has more interest in music than I do.

Odd: Jeremy you're a genius!

Jeremy: I know. Thank you for noticing.

Odd: I'll give a call right now!

*RIIIIIIIIIIING*

Suddenly, the school bell rang, indicating lunch was over and that it was nearly time to resume classes.

Jeremy: You better make your call when your off campus. I got a class to teach.

Odd: Good idea old pal. See you around!

And Odd left Jeremy's classroom and walked his way down the hallways towards the exit.

Jeremy: Finally. I thought he'd never leave.

Odd: I HEARD THAT!

As Odd continued to walk down the hall, he looked ahead of him and saw Gary and Jonah on their way to their next class.

Odd: Hey Gary and Jonah.

The two roommates looked up and saw Odd waving at them.

Gary: Hey Mr. Della Robbia.

Jonah: What brings you here?

Odd: Oh just chatting up with my old Einstein. How 'bout you two?

Jonah: Well obviously we're on our way to class, but me and Gary were discussing what we're going to dress up as for this Friday's Costume Party.

Odd: Oh yeah. I heard about that over the intercom. Have you two come up with any ideas?

Gary: Unfortunately we haven't come up with anything.

Odd: Hmm...OH! I got an idea.

He looked around to make sure that the rest of the students weren't listening in.

Odd: How about you ask Jeremy to pop you guys into the scanners and have you come out in your Lyoko forms.

Gary &amp; Jonah: HE COULD DO THAT?!

Odd: SHH! He sure can. All you have to do is ask him.

Gary and Jonah looked at each other grinning broadly.

Gary &amp; Jonah: We'll do it! Thanks!

Odd: Glad I could help. See you around you two.

And Odd walked away down the halls again while Gary and Jonah headed for their next class. A few more hours past by and soon all classes were finished for the day. Gary and Jonah quickly ran out of their respective classes and hurried over to Jeremy's Computer Science room. Jeremy's class had all just left his room and the old warrior was packing up the last of his equipment when Gary and Jonah burst in through the door, startling the genius slightly.

Jeremy: Good gracious Gary and Jonah! Haven't you two ever heard of a thing called knocking?!

Jonah: Sorry sir, but we have a favor to ask you.

Jeremy: Oh? And what might that be?

Gary: Well, we ran into Mr. Della Robbia after lunch...

Jeremy: Uh oh here we go.

Gary: ...Here us out sir. We told him about the Costume Party coming up and he suggested to ask you if you could have us come out of the scanners in our Lyoko forms.

Jeremy: WHAT?!

Jonah: Umm...is there a problem?

Jeremy: Yes there's a problem. Why on Earth would I want to do that? What if it gives away the secret of the factory?

Gary: We thought about that actually. And the only one's who will know what we are are Natalie, Alexis, and Mariah.

Jonah: Yeah. And if anyone else asks us where we got our costumes, we'll just say that we found a website that makes custom costumes for any occasion according to the buyer.

Jeremy: Okay, but what if someone asks for the site's address.

Gary: We'll tell them that the site and the company were getting ready to go out of business and that they were having a "Final Day Sale" on the suits.

Jeremy: I can see that you both have thought this through. But that's still not going to change my mind.

Gary &amp; Jonah: Why?

Jeremy: It's too risky. If I energize you to Earth with your Lyoko forms, it's also going to give you your Lyoko weapons here on Earth. And if one of you two were to "accidentally" show off your powers or your weapons, people are going to start getting suspicious to the point where The Lyoko Warriors would be found out.

Gary and Jonah didn't consider that side of the problem, but they still wanted to try.

Jonah: We'll be careful Mr. Belpois.

Gary: We promise.

Jeremy looked at the two young warriors and sighed in defeat.

Jeremy: *sigh* Alright I'll do it. But I'm going to need time to edit the Energizing Program so that when you come out of the scanners your weapons won't come with you.

Gary: I can live with that.

Jonah: Me too.

Jeremy: Good. Now I best be off. I still got a lot of Lyoko work to do.

And with that, Jeremy pushed his way past the two young warriors and out towards his car to head home. The rest of the week past by without a hitch and soon it was Friday afternoon. Only a few more hours remained before the start of the Costume Party. Gary and Jonah were sitting outside in the courtyard with the girls discussing the upcoming party.

Gary: You sure you girls don't wanna come?

Natalie: Yeah we're sure. Sorry guys.

Jonah: Ah it's fine. We understand. But do you want to at least what we're dressing up as?

Mariah: Eh sure. Why the heck not.

Alexis: That brings up a question. Where are your costumes?

At that moment, Gary's phone vibrated in his pocket. He took it out and saw that he got a text from Jeremy saying that he was waiting for them at the factory, although the girls didn't know that. Earlier that day, Jeremy had told the guys to meet him at the factory when he was ready with the energizing program which he worked on and finished earlier along with Hopper's materialization program. Unfortunately for Jeremy, he was wrong when he said that he could get Hopper's program done by Monday Night. It turns out that he made a few calculations errors on the program and he had to go back and undo what he had done before, fix the errors, and put it all back together again. This of course took extra time to get right and by the time he was finished completely it was already Friday afternoon. He still had the energizing program to finish, but compare to Hopper's program, it didn't take a whole week to do. It took the rest of the day until now to finish, however he hadn't tested it out to make sure that Gary and Jonah didn't have their Lyoko weapons when they came out of the scanners. But Jeremy was so busy with both programs, that he had completely forgotten. Gary looked at Jonah and winked then turned to the girls.

Gary: Actually, we're getting ready to head for the city to get 'em.

Alexis: Oh, alright. Meet us up in my room. Cool?

Gary &amp; Jonah: Cool.

With that, the guys walked away through the front gates and when they were out of plain sight, they ran off towards the factory.

* * *

**Abandoned Factory-Computer Lab**

Jeremy was waiting patiently for Gary and Jonah to arrive. In the meantime, he was checking Franz Hopper's program again to make doubly sure that there were no errors of any kind and that everything was in place, in check, and squared away. He seemed pretty welled satisfied with everything as he saved his progress and closed the program just as the elevator doors opened and revealed Gary and Jonah.

Jeremy: Ah there you both are.

Gary: We're ready to be energized sir.

Jeremy: Then head down to the scanners and I'll run the program.

So the two young warriors descended down to the scanner room and when they arrived, they stepped in.

Jeremy: Off we go. Transfer Gary. Transfer Jonah. Scanner Gary. Scanner Jonah. Virtualization!

A moment or two later, the two young warriors dropped down into the Desert Sector.

Jonah: We're ready Mr. Belpois!

Jeremy: Ok. I'm running the program.

Jeremy began running the program and the young warriors waited for it to kick in. However, they were both unaware that someone was watching them from a distance. From behind a pile of rocks, Matthew was staring down at them. He had been given orders from XANA to hunt down and destroy Franz Hopper for good, but hasn't been able to find him. He and XANA were starting to get frustrated, but they kept looking. Up until a few moments ago, he was completely alone on Lyoko, until Gary and Jonah dropped in. That's when he dove behind the rock pile before they or Jeremy could notice him. He and XANA both thought that they were there on a recon mission or to try and hunt him down. He readied his War Hammers and prepared to strike.

XANA Matthew: Targets spotted Lord XANA.

XANA: Take them out.

Matthew was getting ready to charge in when suddenly, Gary and Jonah were devirtualized just as quick as when they arrived.

XANA Matthew: What? They were devirtualized.

XANA: Hmm strange. They must have been on a recon or scout mission to see if they could find us here, but went back to Earth when they couldn't find anything. Hmm... that gives me an idea.

Unlike the other energizing program that enabled the old warriors to be teleported to one of XANA's secret bases on Earth, this energizing program was a bit different. It does the same thing of bringing a warrior to Earth in his or her Lyoko form, but this one brings them back through the scanners, where they are still in human flesh and not in specter form and still wearing their Lyoko attire. Gary and Jonah were about to experience that themselves as Jeremy started the program. In an second, the two young warriors were devirtualized out of Lyoko and a moment later, the scanners opened up and out they stepped...now wearing their full Lyoko attire...but unfortunately with their weapons included. Gary and Jonah were amazed.

Gary: HA HA! It worked!

Jonah: This is so cool!

Just then, they saw Jeremy coming down the ladder leading to the scanner room. Once he was down, he turned around and saw that his program had worked. But then he saw the weapons.

Jeremy: Oh no! You're weapons are with you!

The two warriors looked and indeed, their boomerangs and War Axe were with them.

Jeremy: Oh dear, this isn't what I had hoped would happen. I must have been too careless to not realize my mistake.

Jonah: So now what?

Jeremy: Well the only solution I can come up is you both hide your weapons somewhere safe and when the party's over, bring them and yourselves back here so that I can reverse the program.

Gary: Why must I Mr. Belpois? I mean, having boomerangs around doesn't sound that bad.

Jeremy: Your boomerangs could be just as powerful and just as deadly on Earth as they are on Lyoko. Same with your Ax Jonah. So just do what I say and don't question it.

Gary &amp; Jonah: Yes sir.

And the two warriors made their way back up the elevator and back towards Kadic. When they arrived back at the front gates, they made sure that no one was watching them and they sprinted behind some bushes nearby.

Jonah: We gotta hide our weapons somewhere. But where is the question.

Gary: We can hide them in some of these bushes.

Jonah: Yeah we could, but it's gonna be clear tonight and there'll be a full moon also. The moonlight will shine off my ax and it'll give 'em away.

Gary: Right good point. Umm...what about in our rooms?

Jonah: You idiot. That means we'll have to travel through the halls. Which may I remind you, can be crawling with teachers at anytime. If anyone of them sees us with weapons, we'll not only get busted, we could be expelled or jailed!

Gary: Oh yeah. Umm...what about the Garden Shed? The groundskeeper's normally done with his work by now, so once he's clear from the shed, we can sneak in and store our weapons there. Then after the party, we'll sneak back over and take 'em back to Lyoko.

Jonah: That could work. Let's do it!

So the pair quickly and stealthily made their way over towards the Garden Shed. They dove behind many bushes and hid behind many trees whenever they thought that someone was walking past. It wasn't long before they reached their destination. Poking their heads from behind a tree, they could see the school's groundskeeper locking up the Shed and preparing for his journey home. After locking the padlock on the door, he turned around and walked away towards the parking lot. After waiting a few seconds to make sure that the coast was clear and that the groundskeeper was out of earshot, they came out from their hiding spot and quickly ran towards the door.

Jonah: Ok so...how are we gonna get this lock off? We don't have a key.

Gary: Maybe this could work.

Gary pulled out one of his boomerangs and began fiddling around with the lock's keyhole. Thanks to his boomerangs having extra pointed tips, it made the job a lot easier. And it showed as a few moments later, Gary pricked the locked and opened the door.

Gary: Bingo, we're in.

Jonah: Nice!

So the pair quickly took off their weapons and placed them in a safe spot that was out of sight and out of mind. Once that was done, they shut the door behind them. Gary was about to put the lock back on when...

Jonah: HOLD IT! If we put that lock back on, there won't be a way for us to get our weapons back after the party.

Gary: Whew! Good thinking mate. Let's see...

Gary noticed a small pile of leaves beside the shed. An idea struck him as he plopped the lock down inside the pile.

Gary: We'll leave the lock there and put it back when we're done.

Jonah: Good plan. Now come on, the girl's are probably waiting for us.

So without wasting anymore time, the guys headed back towards the campus. It didn't take them long to reach Alexis' room. Gary knocked on the door.

Alexis: Oh that must be them.

The girls got up from Alexis' bed and walked over to the door. But when they opened the door and saw the guy's costumes, their jaws dropped to the floor.

Gary: So ladies, what do ya think?

Jonah: Pretty slick huh?

Mariah and Natalie suddenly yanked the guy's in the room and slammed the door behind them.

Natalie: What are you guys thinking?!

Jonah: Oh great another lecture...

Mariah: Why are you guys in your Lyoko forms?!

Alexis: And how the heck did that happen?!

Luckily for the guys, they had another couple of hours before the party would officially begin. So they took their time answering the girl's questions and explaining to them Odd's whole idea of wearing their Lyoko forms. It took about another hour to explain everything, but by the end of the story, the girls seemed convinced.

Natalie: Well as long as you don't have your weapons, I guess it's safe to wear them.

Gary: Glad you gals finally get it.

Jonah: How much time do we have left?

Mariah: Umm...about an hour.

Jonah: Eh we got time. It may not be Halloween, but this is gonna be a fun Costume Party. I can already tell.

Unfortunately, they were about to be proven wrong. XANA was on the offensive once again.

XANA: With those fools still on Earth, I can finally erase them from existence. And this time, I won't fail.

XANA knew that Gary and Jonah were on Earth, but he wasn't aware that they were in their Lyoko forms. Nor did he know that they had their weapons stored off in the Garden Shed. The hour past and soon it was 7 o'clock PM. Time for the Costume Party to begin. Gary, Jonah, and the rest of the students all made their way down to the gymnasium. Even though it technically wasn't Halloween by any margin, all the students made an effort and were dressed up in a variety of costumes. Even Brandon was there in attendance dressed up like a soldier. He was going to take Stephanie with his, but unfortunately she came down sick earlier that day and had to stay in the nurse's office to rest. The gym had also undergone some repairs from Matthew's Prom attack. The giant hole that he left from his ElectroSlash was now patched up with new bricks and concrete and coated in a fresh coat of paint, making it look like nothing happened. The party was a blast for everyone, with music blaring loudly and every student dancing and having a good time. Gary and Jonah were jamming out to one of the songs that was playing. During the first hour of the party, they both got many compliments on their costumes. People asked them what they were on many occasions. Gary told them that he was dressed up as an "Aussie Ninja" with boomerangs as his main weapons and Jonah said he was a Bounty Hunter using a large War Ax. However, when other people asked where their weapons were, the boys simply said that they didn't have time to "make" their props. They knew that they were lying about where they were, but the other students seemed to buy it, much to their relief. The party continued on and soon it was completely dark. The moonlight shone brightly throughout the clear sky and a thin layer of fog started to dress the ground. This was the perfect opportunity for XANA to attack. He activated one of the Desert Sector's towers, but this time XANA didn't appear out of the supercomputer. Instead, all three scanners whirred into life and out stepped two large sets of tank treds and a giant light green arm. Call it déjà vu from Prom, because that is what was happening.

Back over at Kadic, the principle got up on the stage and turned on the microphone.

Mr. Hamilton: Attention everyone! May I have your attention please.

The music stopped and everyone went quiet.

Mr. Hamilton: First of all, I would like to thank each and everyone of you for coming out in attendance for this year's costume party. I know that for some of you it has been a long 3 weeks since Prom. But I hope that tonight you were able to enjoy yourselves and were able to push those events a few weeks ago out of your minds.

The students gave a round of applause before the principle told them to stop.

Mr. Hamilton: Now then, it's time to announce the winner of the "Best Costume Contest." You all have made your votes during the party and now it's time to announce the winner.

Mr. Hamilton brought out an envelope from his pocket. He ripped it open and unfolded the piece of paper inside.

Mr. Hamilton: And the winner of the "Best Costume Contest" is...

Suddenly at that moment, sparks erupted from the ceiling lights and fell down to the floor. The lights then completely burned out, leaving the gym pitch black. The students started talking amongst themselves as to what could have caused the sudden power outage. Mr. Hamilton tried to use the microphone, but couldn't due to the power being gone. Luckily, he had a flashlight with him. He took it out and began flashing it to get the students attention. It worked as the whole gym went quiet once more and the principle shone the light on his face.

Mr. Hamilton: Now settle down everyone. We're going to try to restore the power to the gym. So just sit tight and let us...

*BOOOOOOOOM*

Suddenly, an enormous explosion happened beside the stage. The students and staff ducked for cover as bricks and dust burst out everywhere. A low buzzing sound was heard as well as the sound of a bulldozer's tracks and this made Gary and Jonah perk up instantly.

Gary: Oh no...

Jonah: Not again...

As the dust settled, Gary and Jonah, as well as everyone else, saw that XANA had invaded Earth once again. And this time, he summoned the Mantis and 4 Sheilders, who came out of the scanners just moments after the first two.

Gary &amp; Jonah: XANA!

Brandon, who was standing right beside them, suddenly felt his blood go cold and all the flashbacks he had been having flooded back through his head. He remembered the time when XANA invaded Earth before Christmas Vacation. He remembered when the giant chemical monster melted away the school. And he remembered the night when XANA possessed Matthew. But the one thing he remembered the most was XANA possessing the zoo animals, the first time he started having the memory flashes. He remembered seeing the Eye of XANA in their eyes, as well as on the monsters when he invaded Earth, and in Matthew's eyes when he was possessed. He then remembered one key sentence Matt told him months ago.

_Matthew: Well you see, those animals are being possessed by a computer virus called XANA and its up to us to go to the old factory and stop him._

Suddenly, it all made sense to Brandon.

Brandon: _(to himself) Matthew...XANA...monsters...the factory...I GET IT!_

Then suddenly, the monsters aimed their guns at the crowd. The students and staff ran for their lives in fear as the monsters entered the building and scanned around. They couldn't see their targets anywhere. The reason being was because Gary and Jonah had ran away with the crowd out of the gym. The monsters scanned the room further, but couldn't find them. They grew angry and the Sheilders began to open fire on the gym. Their lasers left quite a few holes in the walls. They stopped firing after a moment or two and began searching further. They failed to realize that Gary and Jonah had come back into the gym and quickly sneak around the monsters. They leaped through the hole by the stage and sprinted away to the Garden Shed.

Gary: Now might be a good time to use our weapons.

Jonah: Gee ya think?!

Gary: We gotta tell the girls to go to Lyoko with Mrs. Belpois!

Jonah: I'm on it.

Jonah dialed Mariah's number and waited for an answer. A moment later...

_Mariah: Jonah, what's going on? What was that explosion?!_

Jonah: Take a wild guess Mariah.

_Mariah: ...XANA._

Jonah: He's invaded Earth again and he's brought the Mantis and 4 Sheilders.

_Mariah: What about Matthew?_

Jonah: He wasn't there with them. But that doesn't matter. Call Mrs. Belpois and tell her to get to the factory. And you three do the same. We'll try and hold 'em off. Good thing we know where we put our weapons.

_Mariah:__ Okay, we're on it._

Jonah hung up after that as the Garden Shed came into view. Gary tested the door and was grateful that it was still unlocked. The warriors quickly ran inside and grabbed their weapons from behind a few wooden crates. After that, they dashed outside and locked the door behind them after Gary picked up the lock from the leaf pile. Then they raced back to the gym. When they arrived, they saw that the gym was nearly in total ruins thanks to the Shielder's lasers. Luckily, all the students and staff had run out of the gym to the halls and the locker rooms, but the monsters didn't care about them. They were looking for the young warriors.

Gary: Hey monsters! Lookin' for us?

The monsters turned around and saw Gary and Jonah. XANA was watching it all play out on his interface, but he was shocked when he only saw that 2 of the 5 young warriors were there.

XANA: What? Where are the other three?

Then he saw the guys start attacking. Gary took out both of his boomerangs and tried to hit both Eyes on the Mantis, but the giant bug was quick to react and dodged the attack with ease. The Shielders activated their forcefields and stood in front of the Mantis to protect it. This was going to be one tough battle. Meanwhile, while all this was happening...

* * *

**Lyoko-Desert Sector**

Aelita, Natalie, Mariah, and Alexis were all virtualized in the Desert Sector. After Jonah called the girls and told them that XANA was attacking, they quickly hightailed their way to the factory and called Aelita along the way. They soon reached the lab in no time at all and only had to wait just a couple of minutes before Aelita arrived. She quickly located the activated tower, and then there was now.

Aelita: No vehicles this time. I couldn't get time to bring them in.

Mariah: That's alright. Lead the way Mrs. Belpois!

Aelita: This way. Hurry!

So Aelita led the girls towards the tower, which was Northwest from where they were. However, when XANA found out that they were on Lyoko, he couldn't help but rage.

XANA: NO! They slipped by me again! But they won't slip by this! Oooooh Matthew.

Meanwhile, the girls could now see the tower just in front of them.

Natalie: There it is! Nearly there guys!

Just then, they heard a loud engine-type sound coming from behind them. The girls stopped where they were and listened.

Alexis: What is that noise?

Natalie: I'm afraid I already know.

The sound grew louder and louder. It was a familiar sound to Natalie as she slowly turned around and there he was.

XANA Matthew: SURPRISE!

Matthew was coming in very fast in his OverRacer, but it wasn't the original one he had before. The one he was in now was pure black with a red Eye of XANA on both sides of the vehicle. Matthew wasn't alone either. Rolling alongside him were 3 Shielders. The girls back away slowly, but pushed the fear out of them as they readied their weapons. Matthew pushed his vehicle faster and at the last second, he jumped out and let his vehicle barrel towards the girls. They quickly jumped out of the way as the OverRacer zoomed right on past them and fell over the edge of the plateau and into the Digital Sea. They jumped back to their feet and stared down at Matthew who know had his Shielder minions standing in formation on both sides of him.

XANA Matthew: Anybody up for Round 2? This time, I won't fail.

Natalie: We'll see about that!

Natalie was the first to charge in, and just as she did the Shielders acted and began to fire at her. But she wasn't fazed at all, as she jumped and dodged the blasts and jumped up over the Shielders and landed behind Matthew. The Shielders turned around and were about to shoot again, but Matthew held up his hand.

XANA Matthew: Handle the others. She's my battle.

The Shielders did what they were told and turned back around to face the other three warriors, while Natalie readied her katanas for Round 2 against her boyfriend. She charged in and swiped her swords at him, but Matthew was able to block her attacks with his hammers. Matthew retaliated and swung his hammers at her, but she jumped back to miss. Then, Natalie used her Windslash power to knock him back about 20 feet and closer to the edge of the plateau. Meanwhile, the girls were handling the 3 Shielders, one for each of them...ironically. Of course, the Shielders activated their forcefields to protect themselves, but the girls were having none of it. Alexis made 4 quick swipes at one to deactivate the shield, while Mariah shot 3 lasers at the second, and Aelita fired 1 massive Energy Field at the third. The shields were down, but now they had to deal with the thick layer of glass on their backs that protected the Eye of XANA.

Back over at Kadic, Gary and Jonah were still battling the 5 monsters in the gym. Unlike the monsters being on Lyoko, when they're on Earth, one good shot anywhere on the monsters would be enough to stop it. However, the two warriors knew that they had to be careful, because if they got shot with any laser from them, it could potentially be fatal. But they quickly pushed those thoughts out of their minds as Gary tossed his boomerangs at 2 of the 4 Shielders. The bounced off their forcefields and did enough damage to deactivate them. Jonah swiped his War Ax at the third Shielder to knock out its forcefield in one shot, then quickly jumped over to the fourth to deactivate its shield also. Now, all 4 Shielders were vulnerable, giving the two warriors an opportunity to strike. Gary tossed his two boomerangs again and both of them struck through the Shielder's torso and was enough to deactivate it for good. Jonah took his turn to use his Ax to slice the third and fourth Shielders clean in half. Now all that remained was the Mantis. The giant bug floated above the warriors looking down upon them. The boys readied themselves again. Gary tossed one of his boomerangs at the monster, but the Mantis used its arms to knock it out of the way and dropped it to the floor. He quickly dashed over to pick it up, but before he could.

Jonah: GARY! LOOK OUT!

Gary: Huh?

Gary looked up and saw the Mantis charging up its X-shaped laser.

Gary: Uh oh...

Gary jumped out of the way just as the Mantis fired at the floor. It caused an explosion beside Gary, which blasted him a few feet across the floor and into the wall, knocking him out.

Jonah: GARY! Grr...

Jonah had enough. He charged in behind the Mantis and jumped up and was about to strike, but the Mantis buzzed out of the way at the last second, causing Jonah to drop back down to the floor. Back on Lyoko, the girls were making progress. They were able to shatter the glass off the backs of the Shielders, now all they had to do was hit the Eye of XANA. But that would prove to be a challenge within itself. The Shielders began to strike back. One of them fired two shots at Mariah, which devirtualized her in an instant.

Alexis: NO MARIAH! INVISIBILITY!

Alexis was angry. She used her invisibility power to confuse the Shielders, while Aelita took to the sky with her angel wings and began to fly around the monsters to confuse them further. The Shielders then began to try to shoot her down, but one of them was unaware that Alexis was right behind them.

Alexis: REAPPEAR!

Alexis appeared behind one of the three Sheilders and quickly jabbed her dagger into the Eye of XANA and quickly jumped in behind the second and stabbed the Eye of XANA, thus destroying two out of the three.

Alexis: That's what you get for messing with my...GAH!

Alexis didn't get a chance to finish as the third Shielder realized her plan and quickly devirutalized her, leaving Aelita to deal with the third. The Shielder looked up and saw her floating above it, and began to try and shoot her down. Meanwhile, Natalie was still battling with Matthew. The two "rivals", I guess you can say, have been blocking each others attacks the entire time and weren't really getting anywhere. No one got any damage done to them, and to sum it up, they were both pretty much just wasting energy. However, Natalie had used her Windslash Ability a few times to her advantage and saw that Matthew was nearing the edge of the plateau. She suddenly had an idea. She swung her swords at him as quick as she could. It caught the XANAfied warrior off guard as she delivered the first blow, hitting Matthew on both arms with her swords, causing Matthew to lose half of his lifepoints. Matthew growled fiercely at her, but Natalie just smirked and struck again.

Natalie: WINDSLASH!

Natalie summoned her WindSlash one last time, and this time it knocked Matthew off the edge of the plateau causing him to plummet down towards the Digital Sea.

Natalie: I told you it wasn't over.

But Natalie was wrong. As she was turning back around to help Aelita, she suddenly heard an evil laugh. She stopped dead in her tracks and turned back around to see Matthew...flying. Natalie gasped at what she saw. Matthew had a pair of red demon wings and was floating over the Digital Sea. Natalie couldn't believe it at first, that is until she saw a small wristband with a red thunderbolt shape glowing on it. Matthew snickered as he summoned his giant sword and focused his energy on it.

XANA Matthew: And I told you that I won't fail this time. ELECTROSLASH!

Natalie: NO!

But it was too late. Matthew fired his ElectroSlash power at Natalie, devirtualizing her instantly. Matthew laughed loudly at his success...

Aelita: ENERGY FIELD!

XANA Matthew: Huh? GAH!

...when out of nowhere, Aelita fired a massive Energy Field at him, causing him to be devirtualized in a cloud of black smoke. She had finally been able to get rid of the last of the Shielders after she distracted it enough to drop down behind it and shoot an energy orb at its back, destroying it easily.

Aelita: The battle's never over until XANA's plans are foiled.

Aelita then quickly raced over towards the tower and easily went inside. Back at Kadic, Jonah still wasn't able to destroy the Mantis. He jumped up in the air one more time to try and use his Ax to destroy it, but this time, the Mantis used it giant arm to knock Jonah out of the air and slamming him into the wall beside Gary. It didn't knock him out though as he opened his eyes slowly just in time to see the Mantis hovering over them charging up its laser. He shut his eyes as he anticipated his end. Aelita however, had aleady ascended to the top of the tower and entered Code: Lyoko.

Aelita: Tower deactivated.

Suddenly, the Mantis twitched and groaned and dropped down to the ground hard, now fully disabled. Jonah breathed a big sigh of relief as Gary was now starting to regain consciousness.

Gary: Ohhh man. Did we win?

Jonah: Yep we're alive.

Gary: Good. Glad that's over.

Just then, they saw the students and staff all come back inside the gym and they were closing in on them.

Gary &amp; Jonah: Uh...oh.

Mr. Hamilton: Gary and Jonah.

Gary: Please sir, have mercy on us.

Jonah: We didn't mean to bring these weapons with us. We were just doing what we could to...

Mr. Hamilton: Thank you very much for saving us.

Gary &amp; Jonah: Say what?

Mr. Hamilton: If you two hadn't acted the way you did tonight, all of us might not be here at all. So thank you.

Gary: You're...you're welcome sir.

Jonah: Just doing what we could.

Mr. Hamilton: And that reminds me. Here you go.

Mr. Hamilton brought out a small trophy and handed it to the two warriors.

Mr. Hamilton: You two actually tied for the win in our "Best Costume Contest." Congratulations.

Gary: Wow...thank you sir.

Just then, they remembered about their Lyoko forms.

Jonah: Sorry to cut this short sir, but we gotta go.

Gary: We'll be back!

And without another word, the two friends sprinted out of the gym and back to the factory. Mr. Hamilton was confused but shrugged it aside as he turned to face the crowd.

Mr. Hamilton: This concludes tonight's...eh...festivities. Everyone back to your rooms.

The students did what they were told...all except one. While no one was looking, Brandon snuck out of the school and quietly followed Gary and Jonah.

* * *

**Abandoned Factory-Computer Lab**

Back at the lab, Aelita was soon brought back to Earth after she had to devirtualize herself due to the fact that the girls didn't know how to bring her back. Now Aelita was on the phone with Jeremy.

Aelita: It's okay Jeremy, XANA has been stopped.

Jeremy: That's good, because Ulrich, Yumi, Odd, William, and I are all on our way there.

Aelita: What? Why?

Jeremy: Because I've finally finished your father's materialization program. It's time to bring back Franz Hopper!

* * *

**Happy Halloween everyone! Hope you all are enjoying your candy and whatnot. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, which I apologize for taking so long to post. But you know, I do have a life to live outside of FanFiction. Which actually reminds me, I'm afraid I have some bad news...Well good news for me, bad news for the story. As of now, I will be leaving for Marine Corps Boot Camp at the end of next month. Which means, unfortunately I'm not going to be able to continue the story during that time. Now hold your horses everyone, that doesn't that this story is going to end without it being finished completely. Instead, I'm going to put it on hold during my time at Boot Camp and if I have time after I come back, then I will update it. But for now, I have from now until the end of next month to get as far into the story as I possibly can and again put it on hold until further notice. I hope you guys can understand why this is happening, because as much as I love to entertain you guys with my stories, I don't want to make it a career you know. I wanna succeed in life and sadly, writing stories won't cut it. So that's my really BIG reason why it's happening. Again I hope you guys can understand. But enough of the Soap Opera. I still have time to get as far as I can before I leave. So anyway, thank you guys so much for reading this...I guess you can call it a "Halloween Special" even though it's not technically Halloween in the story but it still involves costumes and monsters...I'm getting off track here. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed and be sure to stayed tuned for Chapter #53.**

**Until then, HAPPY HALLOWEEN MY FELLOW FANFICTION MATES! And as always, FakeACU83 OUT!**


	53. Reunited

_**Chapter 53: Reunited**_

**Abandoned Factory-Computer Lab**

Aelita: WHAT?! Are you serious?

_Jeremy: I'm serious Aelita. We'll be over there soon._

Aelita: Okay, we'll wait here.

Aelita ended the call and turned to face Natalie, Alexis, and Mariah, who looked at her confused when she said that they'll wait at the lab. But before any of them could ask, the elevator doors opened revealing Gary and Jonah, who had just come from the gym after XANA's attack, with the "Best Costume Contest" trophy still with them.

Gary: G'day ladies. What did we miss?

Mariah: Mrs. Belpois was actually just about to tell us.

Natalie: By the way, what's with the trophy?

Jonah: Oh, it turns out that Gary and I actually tied for the "Best Costume Contest" win. We both won it.

Alexis: Oh, congrats you two. Now what were you saying ma'am?

Aelita: Right, Jeremy and the others are on their way here to the factory. Reason being, is because it's time to bring my father home.

Gang: What? Seriously?

Aelita: Indeed.

Aelita began to think back to all the memories she had with her father during her young life before all the Lyoko and XANA mess happened and then began wondering what it would be like to see her father again after so many years. The gang could see her thinking and respectfully stayed silent as they waited for Jeremy and the rest of the warriors to arrive. They didn't have to wait that much longer, as 10 minutes later the elevator doors opened again and this time revealed Jeremy, Odd, Ulrich, Yumi, and William. Without wasting a moment, Jeremy jumped into the revolving chair and faced the screen. He took a disc case out of his coat pocket and inserted the disc that contained Franz Hopper's program. But before he could run it, he had to bring Hopper out of hiding first. He then had an idea on how to do it. He turned to Gary and Jonah.

Jeremy: Since the party's over, let's get you two back on Lyoko and get you out of your forms. While you're at it, see if you can lure Franz Hopper out of hiding.

Jonah: And how do you expect us to do that exactly?

Jeremy: I don't know. Sweet talk?

Gary: Hardy har har. Come on Jonah.

So the two young warriors descended down to the scanner room and stepped inside. A few moments later, they were virtualized in the Desert Sector again. Whilst Jeremy prepped the Reversed Energizing Program, Gary and Jonah scanned around the dusty sector looking for Lyoko's Creator.

Gary: Hello? Mr. Franz Hopper? This is Gary and Jonah of the young Lyoko Warriors here!

Jonah: XANA's latest attack on Earth has been stopped so it's all clear for you to come out!

Gary: Mr. Belpois said that your materialization program is ready, but he can't run it without you being here in our presence!

Suddenly, they heard a loud splashing sound coming from the Digital Sea.

Gary: You hear that mate?

Jonah: Yeah...you think that's him?

They soon got their answer as suddenly, a large purple and white energy orb rose from below the plateau and floated gracefully down in front of the youngsters.

Jeremy: There he is.

The rest of the warriors gathered around Jeremy and looked at the screen to see Lyoko's very creator now in sight.

Jeremy: Tell him that I'm going to bring you guys back first before him. Then, he has to go to a way tower in order for the program to work.

Jonah: Right. Mr. Belpois said that he's going to bring us back to Earth first. Then, you have to go to a way tower. The program won't work if you're out here. Then afterwards, he'll launch your materialization program to bring you back.

The young warriors really wished that Hopper was able to communicate to them, but without having a Lyoko form, it was impossible to do. But Jeremy did receive a message from Franz just as Jonah finished speaking. He read it out.

Jeremy: _I understand. You two go first. I will wait my turn._ Okay boys, I'm reversing the Energizing Program.

Jeremy pressed the ENTER key on the keyboard and in an instant, the two young warriors were devirtualized. The two scanners whirred back into life and when they opened up, Gary and Jonah stepped out now back in their normal Earth attire.

Gary: Ah that's more like it.

Jonah: I miss having my Lyoko form on Earth already.

Gary playfully shoved Jonah as the two friends ascended up the ladder to the Computer Lab, where the rest of the warriors were waiting for them. They gathered around Jeremy, who just received another message from Hopper.

Jeremy: _I have located a nearby Way Tower. I'm on my way there now._

So the warriors waited as Franz Hopper floated away towards the Way Tower. Luckily, it wasn't very far away, as he reached it within a relatively quick time. He went inside the tower and floated in the center of the lower platform. He then sent another message to Jeremy.

Jeremy: _Alright Jeremy, I'm ready to come home._

He then turned to Aelita.

Jeremy: You ready to see your father again?

Aelita smiled widely.

Aelita: I'm ready. Run the program.

Jeremy: Running the program now. Code: Earth!

Jeremy pressed the ENTER key once again and began running the complex program. Inside the Way Tower, Franz Hopper's energy orb shape slowly ascended upwards a bit. Then, he slowly started to disintegrate until there was nothing left. Hopper had vanished. Jeremy and the warriors could hear the whirring sound of one of the scanners below them. Aelita was the first to climb down the ladder towards the scanner room with the rest of the warriors following in pursuit. They quickly gathered around the middle scanner and waited for the moment of truth. After what seemed like ages, the scanner door slowly opened and a plume of mist flooded out. It covered the warriors faces preventing them from seeing if the program worked, but when the mist cleared, there laying in the scanner was a man that looked to be in his mid to late 50's, gray hair and mustache, and wore a red turtleneck shirt with a white lab coat over it, long khaki pants, black shoes, and a pair of circular glasses over his eyes. The man groaned as he started to wake up. Slowly, his eyes opened but his vision was blurry. But after a few moments, his visioned cleared up and he could see that he was surrounded by the young and old warriors. The warriors were astonished and Aelita smiled widely as several tears trickled down her face. The program had worked to perfection.

Hopper: Aelita...

Aelita: Welcome home Daddy!

Hopper stood to his feet and hugged his daughter tightly for the first time in 3 decades. A round of applause erupted from the rest of the warriors as the father and daughter were reunited at last.

Hopper: Aelita, I'm so happy to see you again. After all these years, you have no idea how good it feels to have my arms wrapped around you again.

More tears streamed down Aelita's face. She could hardly think of anything to say. She was so overwhelmed and downright grateful. Finally, after taking a few more moments to gather her thoughts she spoke.

Aelita: I never thought I'd get to see you again. I thought I'd lost you forever when those Mantis shot you down.

Hopper: Well you won't have to live with that thought anymore. I'm home now and that's all that matters.

Hopper and Aelita released each other from their hug and the Lyoko Creator faced everyone else.

Hopper: Jeremy, I want to give you my biggest thanks. If it wasn't for your hard work and sacrifice, I probably would not be here standing in your presence today.

Jeremy: I'm glad I can help the Creator of Lyoko.

Hopper smiled then turned to face the young gang.

Hopper: And you youngsters I must praise as well. If it wasn't for your bravery to not only face against XANA but your own friend also, well then I again wouldn't be here now.

The gang smiled, but Jeremy interrupted.

Jeremy: I'm sorry to cut to the chase so soon sir, but I'm afraid we still have XANA to deal with.

Hopper: I understand. Let's head back up to the lab and I'll explain everything.

So the warriors and Hopper used the elevator to ascend back up to the Computer Lab. Once there, Hopper took a seat in the chair and turned to face the warriors.

Hopper: As you're all now well aware, XANA is planning on ruling the world and he's using young Matthew to help him slow us down. But I do have a solution. I know you Jeremy have spent many hours trying to break into XANA's world, but not succeeding.

Jeremy: Yeah...don't remind me.

Hopper: Well, I think I might be able to help. But of course, I will need a little bit of time to do that. But until then, you all know what to do. Keep your guard up and always be ready to fight back, whether it's against XANA or Matthew.

Natalie: That brings up a question. How are we going to get Matthew back? XANA's made him even more powerful now than what he was before he got possessed. Plus, he's given him his own set of wings like me and Mrs. Belpois.

Hopper: It's true that XANA has made young Matthew stronger and has given him a few upgrades. And a lot like Mr. Dunbar over there, XANA will do almost anything to keep Matthew his slave. Unfortunately at the moment, I don't have a way of bringing him back to Earth. But in due time, I'm sure that we can all come up with something. I also think that you youngsters are due for another Lyoko Upgrade.

The gang looked perplexed.

Mariah: What do you mean?

Hopper: What I mean is, with the way Matthew has shown his great power, it may be nearly impossible for you 5 to last for a few minutes against him. So I think, to even out the playing field, you all should get upgraded a little bit.

Gang: AWESOME!

Hopper: However, like cracking XANA's code, it will take time for me to construct your upgrades. So unfortunately, you all are stuck with what you got.

Gary: But...if we're stuck with what we have right now...how are we going to stand a chance against Matthew? No offence to our elders, but even they couldn't stand a chance against him when he first got possessed.

?: Well...what about me?

The gang and the old warriors jumped when they heard an unfamiliar voice. Just then, they heard someone climbing down the ladder leading into the Lab. When he dropped down to the floor and turned to face the warriors, they all gasped in shock. Mostly the young warriors were shocked to see who had just joined them. Brandon was there.

* * *

**Plot twist anyone? HA HA! I bet ya didn't see that one coming at all. What is Brandon doing there and why? All these questions will soon be answered in Chapter #54 when Brandon explains his reasons. But that, of course, will come at a later date. But until then, I hope you guys enjoyed reading Chapter 53. I know it may be a bit short, but short chapters come about every now and then. It's just a part of being an author I guess. But anyways, thank you guys so much for reading this latest installment of the story. If you liked, be sure to tell me in the reviews or shoot me a PM. Also be sure to follow and favorite if your new to this story. And be sure to stick around for the next chapter of New Youth.**

**Thank you all again for reading and enjoying! More to come soon. But until then, and as always, FakeACU83 OUT!**


	54. Brandon's Backstory

**Author's Note: Before you begin to read this chapter, a quick warning. This chapter is rated T for it involves dark violence and fatalities. Please read with an open mind. **

**-FakeACU83 (Author)**

* * *

_**Chapter 54: Brandon's Backstory**_

**Abandoned Factory-Computer Lab**

The gang could not believe that Brandon was with them. The old warriors were shocked as well, but not so much compared to their younger allies. Brandon felt uneasy, as the gangs shocked faces turned into death glares.

Natalie: What on Earth are you doing here? And how did you know we were here?

Brandon: Well, Gary and Jonah sure made it obvious after they hightailed it out of the gym.

Suddenly, all eyes were glued to Gary and Jonah who held their hands up in defense.

Gary: Hey now, cut us some slack here man.

Jonah: We didn't even know that we were being followed.

Brandon: They're not the ones to blame. I figured it all out.

The gang and the warriors looked at him confused.

Alexis: What do you mean you figured it all out.

Brandon: Maybe I should elaborate a little bit. Now you guys might not believe me at first, but just here me out.

So everyone listened.

Brandon: Since November, I've been having these sort of memory flashbacks about events that happened before, that I thought never happened at all. One of them was a giant chemical monster that attacked and melted down Kadic. Another was the time when Kadic was under siege by weird monsters with a strange eye on them before Christmas Break. And another was Matthew's attack on Kadic after he got possessed by a jellyfish type monster. But the flashback that started it all was the time when the zoo animals were possessed and they attacked Kadic. Matthew led myself, Carrie and Casey to this very spot. Then the next thing I knew, I was back at Kadic again. That's when I started having those memory flashbacks and only after today's attack on Kadic did I fully realize what's going on and how you guys are involved in it. Matthew mentioned this to me when the animals attacked. He said something along the lines of, "_Y__ou see, those animals are being possessed by a computer virus called XANA and its up to us to go to the old factory and stop him."_ At first, I thought he was mental but after what happened at the gym, I finally put it all together. I know who XANA is and I know you guys are fighting against him.

The warriors eyes were as wide as dinner plates and their jaws practically dropped to the floor. Somehow, someway, Brandon has discovered their secret. But before they could say anything else, he spoke again.

Brandon: I also heard that you guys are in need of help of trying to stop XANA and Matthew. Well, I figured why can't I help?

Natalie: YOU?! AFTER ALL THE THINGS YOU'VE DONE?! YOU TRIED TO BREAK ME AND MATT UP FOR AS LONG AS I AND EVERYONE ELSE CAN REMEMBER! YOU'VE ALSO FORCED ME TO BE YOUR GIRLFRIEND AFTER I REFUSED AND TRIED TO HURT ME! YOU'VE BEEN NOTHING BUT A SELFISH, LOWLIFE BULLY WHO DOES NOTHING FOR HIMSELF OR IN CLASS AND ALWAYS GETS AWAY WITH IT!

That was the last straw for Brandon.

Brandon: YOU'RE WRONG NATALIE! YOU'RE ALL WRONG! THERE'S MORE TO MY LIFE THAN YOU THINK! THERE'S A REASON I'M THIS WAY AND ONE THAT I DON'T LIKE TO DWELL ON!

Gary: Yeah right Brandon. Like there's a reason that you're...

Hopper: THAT IS ENOUGH!

Everyone went quiet as Hopper gathered his emotions.

Hopper: I realize that you young ones may not trust this boy for the things that he has done. But we are in need of another warrior and here's a potential candidate right here. If he says he has a reason why he's this way, then why must it be so disrespectful for him not to say it?

Natalie: But Mr. Hopper you don't understand, he can't be trusted at all. He might just end up turning his back on us or...

Hopper: Sometimes Natalie your biggest rivals can become the greatest of allies.

Natalie: But...but...

Natalie was trying to think of anymore excuses to not let Brandon join their group, but unfortunately she couldn't think of any and stayed silent.

Hopper: Young Brandon, you have the floor.

Brandon: Thank you sir. I have never spoken about this to anyone in my entire lifetime. It's not something I like to remember. But if it'll get you all to trust me and allow me to help you all fight Matthew and stop XANA, then I'm willing to tell you all.

The gang looked at each other then looked at their elders, who gave a nod in approval. The gang reluctantly agreed to let Brandon explain himself. So Brandon took a deep breath and explained his past.

* * *

**_8 Years Ago_**

**_Versailles, France_**

_Brandon: It all started about 8 years ago, back when my parents and I lived in Versailles. We lived in the wealthy part of the suburbs. My dad worked as a successful lawyer while my mother was a Stay-at-home mom. Although I didn't go to school there and I didn't get a chance to make very many friends. Instead I was home-schooled by my mother while my dad worked. I didn't get to see him that often because he worked so much, but whenever I did see him, he and my mom would always spend a lot of time with me. Whether it would be playing outside, or simply just sitting down to watch a movie. Life was great for us back then...until one night around late November. It was a cold night that night. A little snow was falling if I remember correctly and I remember sleeping soundly in my room with my parent's room just down the hall from mine. It was around 1 AM I think when everything in my life would change forever._

_Outside Brandon's house, two men dressed in black came snooping up the front yard. Brandon didn't know it at first, but these men were about to rob their house and rob everything Brandon ever knew and loved. The burglars put on their black masks as one of them pricked the lock on the front door. The house didn't have any security system installed either, so it was easy for the men to break in. Once they were in, they began ravaging through the home, stealing every single precious valuable they had. They stole fine and expensive jewelry. They stole priceless paintings and photographs. They stole some kitchen appliances as well as CD's and gold watches among other things. The men were about to go after the giant flat-screen TV next, for they had a big enough bag with them already. As they were moving the TV out of place, one of the men accidentally knocked over several of Brandon's family photos. The photos crashed to the ground with glass shattering everywhere._

_Brandon: I heard the sound of glass breaking from the living room. I didn't think much of it at first, because I was too tired to even think at that point. But then, I heard the sound of my dad coming out of his bed and rushing down the hall. I also heard my mother following him a moment later. That's when I started to get a little nervous. I climbed out of my bed and pressed my ear against my door to see if I can hear what was happening. I wish I hadn't now though._

_The men knew that they're cover would be blown if Brandon's father heard the glass shattering, and they were soon to be proven right. From around the corner, Brandon's father saw the men and the mess they made to their living room. Anger grew up inside him._

_Father: HEY YOU TWO! PUT ALL THAT BACK AND GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!_

_The men didn't do what they were told. Instead, they kept about their business trying to get the TV out. Brandon's father snapped and he charged in at the burglars. He bodyslammed into one of them knocking the TV out of his hands. The tussle began between the two and soon, the second robber got involved and tried to pry Brandon's father off of his partner. At this point, his wife came rushing down when she heard the sound of fighting going on. She saw the quarrel going on before her eyes but she didn't do anything. She was scared out of her wits and just stood their like a statue. The father fought hard against the burglars, but he was starting to get overrun. He sucker-punched one of them square in the face, but then the robbers ganged up on him and knocked him to the ground. The wife saw this and immediately rushed in to help. She tried her best to pry one of the crooks off her husband, but their strength was too much compared to her. Then...it happened._

_*BANG BANG BANG BANG*_

_Brandon: ...All of the sudden...I heard 4 gunshots go off. Then afterwards, I heard footsteps running out of the house...and then there was silence. I slowly opened my door and made my way to the living room. But when I got there..._

_Brandon paused for a moment. He was trying to fight back his tears that were starting to flood his eyes._

_Brandon: ...I saw 2 bodies laying on the floor. I couldn't really see who they were at that time, so I turned on the lamp that was next to me. And when I did...I saw that the bodies...were my parents._

_The gang and the warriors gasped in horror at what he just said._

_Brandon: My dad was on the floor with my mother lying on top of him...blood puddling around them. I was petrified...I didn't know what to think. When I finally got my sense back, I quickly dialed 911 and within a few minutes, the paramedics were there. But by then...it was too late. I saw them placing them in large white body bags and putting them in the ambulance. That's when the chief paramedic came up to me and broke the news to me._

_Chief Paramedic: I'm sorry Brandon...but your parents didn't make it. They both took gunshots to the chest and they were killed instantly._

_Brandon: That was it. Everything I known and loved...was taken from me. I didn't know what to think. I didn't know what to do. All I did was fall to my knees and cried till morning._

* * *

**End Flashback**

The warriors stood their mouths agape, silent, and still as ice.

Mariah: So...what happened after that?

Brandon: After that, I was put into a Foster home in Paris, that was actually about 30 miles from Kadic. My foster parent enrolled me into a public Elementary School and later Middle School. But for some reason, she looked down on me as a worthless excuse for a child. She blow up at me whenever I wasn't passing my classes. She would beat me down when I disobeyed her orders. She would hate me and the world and was never afraid to speak her mind about it. Something in me changed that day. I rapidly lost my control and went into a deep depression. The same hate that she out on me, I ended up spreading it around. That's why you guys see me the way I am now. It's because of the way that I was treated by my Foster mother after my parent's death. I try to control my anger, but I always end up failing. Sometimes, I would look out into the sky and stare at it, wondering if my parents would still even care about me if they knew what I've done.

The warriors were silent. The gang looked ashamed. They had no idea that Brandon had gone through such a tragedy so young in his life.

Brandon: Natalie, I'm sorry for tricking Stephanie into breaking you and Matt up. And Stephanie said that she is also sorry for being a part of it. We both know now that you're in love with him dearly, and that we were too stupid enough not to realize it sooner. And I'm also sorry to you guys for trying to butt into your business when it wasn't my place to be and for being a big jerk overall. I understand if you guys don't want to forgive me that easily, but I hope that I cleared myself up for you guys.

Brandon turned around and was about to climb back up the ladder when...

Natalie: Wait...

He turned back around and faced the gang.

Natalie: We look at you now and we don't see the "Bad Boy Brandon" that we all once knew. We don't see a boy, who always kept himself to himself, never focused on his studies, and harassing other students and getting away with it. We don't see that anymore. What we see now, is a young man who's life changed through a very traumatic experience that happened long ago. We see a boy who's in need of guidance and friendship. We realize that we were all wrong in judging you the way we did. We forgive you Brandon, we all do. Right guys?

Gang: RIGHT!

Brandon smiled slightly.

Brandon: You...you mean it?

Alexis: Wholeheartedly. And to make it up to you, we've come to a conclusion.

Jonah: Mr. Hopper does have a point. We can't handle Matthew by ourselves.

Gary: We're in need of another Lyoko Warrior to help us fight against Matthew and stop XANA.

Natalie: We've given it a lot of thought just now. So we want to ask you, would you want to join The Young Lyoko Warriors?

Brandon's smile grew even wider.

Brandon: I would be honored! Thank you guys for giving me a chance. I promise I won't disappoint you.

Brandon moved in closer and the gang accepted him in with a large group hug. A round of applause came from the old warriors and Franz Hopper.

Hopper: _(to himself) Sometimes your biggest rivals can become the greatest of allies._

As soon as the gang released their grip on Brandon, Franz Hopper spoke up.

Hopper: Now Brandon, we need you to go down to the scanner room. We are going to virtualize you onto Lyoko and quickly get you trained for the fight against XANA. But the question is, are you up for it?

Brandon: Yes sir, I am!

Hopper: Then off to the scanner room young one. Chop Chop! Time's a wasting!

Brandon did what he was told as he stepped into the elevator and descended down to the scanner room to begin a new journey. A journey as a Lyoko Warrior.

* * *

**Now things are surely going to get interesting. Brandon is going to become a Lyoko Warrior. I bet you guys didn't see that one coming. Now the gang know the true story behind Brandon...but unfortunately Matthew doesn't. How is he going to handle seeing his biggest rival on Lyoko? Can Brandon stand up to the challenge? Or will Matthew prove to be too much for him also? These questions and more will soon be answered within the coming chapters of New Youth. For now, thank you guys so much for reading this latest chapter. If you liked it, be sure to leave me a review telling me and be sure to follow and favorite the story if you haven't already. Keep the love and support coming and stayed tuned for Chapter #55!**

**Until then, as always, FakeACU83 OUT!**


	55. Rivals Clash

_**Chapter 55: Rivals Clash**_

**Abandoned Factory-Scanner Room**

The massive industrial doors of the old elevator opened up and for the first time, revealed to Brandon the scanner room. He was quite amazed at the sight of the 3 scanner pods.

Brandon: Wooow...so these are the things that take you to...what do you call it...Lyoko?

Hopper: That's right youngster. Once you step in to one of the cabins, the doors will close and the cabin will create a virtual copy of yourself and thus teleport you to Lyoko. Which is what is going to happen now.

Jeremy: But before any of that happens, we all have one question for you. Do you swear do keep what we're doing a secret?

Brandon: Yes sir, I swear.

Jeremy: Then step right in and we'll get started.

Brandon: Well...if you say so...

Brandon felt unsure about what he was about to get himself into, but he knew that his new found friends were in need of help, and he would have done anything for them to trust him. He took a deep breath and stepped inside one of the three scanners.

Hopper: Would you like to do the honors Jeremy?

Jeremy: I would love to.

So Hopper moved out of the seat with Jeremy immediately taking his place and starting the virtualization process.

Jeremy: Here we go Brandon. Off to the Ice Sector with you. Transfer Brandon.

In the scanner room, the doors on Brandon's scanner closed and started to whir into life.

Jeremy: Scanner Brandon.

Brandon shut his eyes as a bright light started to engulf the scanner.

Jeremy: Virtualization!

Jeremy pressed ENTER. Brandon felt as if his insides were turning and twisting every which-a-way...but only for a few moments.

* * *

**Lyoko-Ice Sector**

Within a few seconds, Brandon was virtualized into the Ice Sector of Lyoko. Unfortunately, he didn't expect himself to be virtualized above the ground. He dropped down to the ground landing on his behind hard.

Brandon: Ouch! Aw man...a little more warning next time. I had no idea I was going to be spawned in above ground.

Jeremy: Sorry about that Brandon. But other than that, welcome to Lyoko.

Brandon gazed at the virtual world around him. But he wasn't really impressed much.

Brandon: Is this really all there is? Just ice and snow?

Jeremy: No it isn't. This is just one of 5 sectors on Lyoko. The one you're in is the Ice Sector. There's also the Forest Sector, Desert Sector, Mountain Sector, and the Core Sector we call Sector 5.

Brandon now felt impressed as he walked around a bit to the edge of the ice platform he was standing on. He looked down and saw the Digital Sea.

Brandon: What about that weird looking water that's below me?

Jeremy: That's the Digital Sea. What ever you do, DO NOT fall in there. If you do, you'll be virtualized forever.

Brandon:...Um...in other words?

Jeremy: In other words...if you fall in the Digital Sea, it would be "Bye Bye Brandon."

Brandon: ...Oh...

Brandon wisely backed away from the edge of the ice and back to the center of the platform where he was virtualized onto. He continued to gaze around the terrain surrounding him. As he was doing so, he caught a glimpse of what looked to be some sort of handle on his back.

Brandon: Huh? What's this on my back?

Jeremy: That would be your weapon.

Brandon: Wait...my weapon?

Brandon grabbed a hold of the handle and pried his weapon off of his back and brought it up in front of him. He was amazed at what it was. His weapon turned out to be a scythe, with a long metal shaft that was connected to the joint connected to the blade. The joint had a small purple gemstone in the middle of it. The blade itself was patterned with black and purple triangles that almost looked like teeth.

Brandon: DUDE! This scythe rocks!

Jeremy: I'm glad you like it. It goes along with your outfit quite well.

Brandon: ...Eh?

Brandon looked away from his scythe and looked at himself. He wasn't wearing his normal black Earthling clothes. Instead, he was wearing a half black-half purple armor long sleeve top with the same purple and black triangle pattern on it. The black color on his right side and the purple color on his left. The triangle pattern met in the middle of his body. He also had on black trousers, a dark gray belt, and black boots.

Brandon: *whistles* Not too shabby I must say. So, tell me more about Lyoko.

Jeremy: Lyoko is a virtual world that XANA hides in. In each sector are 10 towers, except for Sector 5 which only has one. Each tower gives off a light blue aura around it, meaning that the tower is inactive. XANA can activate a tower in order for him to gain entrance to Earth and cause massive chaos, which explains how he was able to possess the animals and bring his minions to Earth. Once he activates a tower, the blue aura turns red and only Matthew and my wife Aelita can deactivate them to stop XANA's attacks. Unfortunately now, we only have Aelita.

Brandon: But, why is XANA so bent up on attacking just us?

Jeremy: The reason being is because back when my friends and I were students at Kadic, I discovered this place and switched on the supercomputer without even thinking about the consequences that could come with it. After I turned it on, XANA re-awoke and started to attack us. This went on for about 2 years until we thought we destroyed him with a special Anit-XANA program I created.

Brandon: And let me guess the rest of the story. Up until Matthew came along, XANA was inactive. Then Matthew and his friends reactivated him?

Jeremy: Pretty much. And then there was all of XANA's attacks on the school, his possession of Matthew, and then there's now.

Brandon: I think I get the gist of it all. So what do you want me to do now? I don't see any bad guys around.

Jeremy: That's because XANA's most recent attack has already been stopped. We just wanted to get you acclimated to Lyoko. I'm getting ready to bring you back now.

Brandon: Oh...well that was uneventful.

Jeremy: Don't worry, you'll be able to get a little piece of action soon.

But Jeremy was about to be proven wrong. As he was getting ready to bring Brandon back to Earth, the supercomputer began to sound an alarm. Jeremy looked at the screen and saw that something was heading straight for Brandon...or should I say...someone.

Jeremy: Uh...oh...

Brandon: Umm...Mr. Belpois...what's uh oh?

Jeremy: You may wanna look behind you.

So Brandon did. He turned around and saw someone coming towards him. From what he just learned from Jeremy, there was only one "someone" on Lyoko other than him.

Brandon: It's Matthew!

And indeed it was. Matthew skidded to a stop along to ice standing face-to-face with his rival. And if you haven't guessed already, the XANAfied warrior was not very happy to see him. He immediately brought out his War Hammers from his holders. Brandon now grew nervous as Matthew began to step closer to him.

XANA Matthew: So we meet again Brandon. I see you're a Lyoko Warrior now hmm? Pathetic! I have no idea why those fools allowed you to join them.

Brandon felt intimated, but managed to put on a brave face and try to stand up to Matthew.

Brandon: I'm different now Matt! Trust me, I've changed! I've realized what I've done was wrong and I feel stupid not to realize it sooner.

XANA Matthew: It doesn't matter anymore. I've told you this before. Once you're my enemy, you stay my enemy!

Matthew jumped forward and swung his duel hammers at him, but Brandon was quick to dodge...even after he nearly got hit. Matthew swung his hammers at him again, but Brandon jumped out of the way. Matthew tried it a few more times, and still couldn't hit him. He was starting to get frustrated.

XANA Matthew: Call yourself a Lyoko Warrior? Can't even put up a good fight.

Brandon: Oh yeah?!

Brandon dug down deep and grabbed his scythe and started to counterattack. Matthew swung his hammers at him again, but this time they clashed against Brandon's scythe. This stunned Matthew for a split second, but it was all that Brandon needed. He began to swipe his scythe at him, but Matthew kept dodging him as well. But Brandon didn't give him. He spun around in a circle and sliced his scythe at Matthew's stomach, causing his to lose 40 lifepoints. Matthew groaned as he tried to counterattack, only to get hit again in the side by Brandon's blade, costing him another 40 lifepoints. Matthew had enough. He summoned his giant sword and focused his energy on it. Brandon had no idea how he did that, but he quickly put that thought to the back of his head.

XANA Matthew: IT'S OVER NOW BRANDON! ELECTROSLASH!

Brandon: NOT THIS TIME!

Matthew fired his red and white electric slash at his bitter rival, but surprisingly, Brandon slid underneath it. He jumped back to his feet and sliced his scythe at him one last time, devirtualizing Matthew in a puff of black smoke. Matthew, who was absolutely furious, screamed out as he was devirtualized.

XANA Matthew: YOU'LL REGRET THAT BRANDON! I'LL BE BACK!

That was all he could say as he disappeared into a cloud of smoke. The old and young warriors stared at the computer screen in absolute awe.

Yumi: ...Amazing.

Natalie: He took down Matthew...all by himself.

Hopper, who was standing behind the warriors, couldn't help but smile.

Hopper: I told you all that he could be a key asset to us.

The warriors couldn't agree more. Brandon put his scythe back into its holder on his back and stood in the middle of the icy platform in triumph.

Brandon: So, do you guys think I'm cut out to be a Lyoko Warrior?

Jeremy: Yes we do. Well done Brandon. Time to bring you back in. Materialization Brandon!

In a split second, Brandon was devirtualized back into the scanner room. He felt weak when he stepped out, but eventually gained his strength back. He made his way to the elevator and arrived safely back to the computer lab. All the warriors were waiting for him. They all gave him big smiles.

Jeremy: Welcome to the Lyoko Warriors Brandon.

Brandon: Thanks everyone. I'm ready to take on XANA!

Hopper: But unfortunately, your young friends aren't.

The gang looked at Franz Hopper confused.

Alexis: What do you mean?

Hopper: You all said it yourselves. You all can't handle Matthew by yourself right?

Gary: Oh yeah...

Hopper: Exactly. He's proven to be incredibly powerful under XANA's control. But I have a solution.

Jonah: Our Lyoko Upgrade?

Hopper: Precisely Jonah.

Mariah: What do you have in mind Mr. Hopper?

Hopper: Well if I told you, then it wouldn't be a surprise. But don't worry, it shouldn't take me too long to make them.

Natalie: But hang on a moment sir, what about the return to the past? That's still broken.

Hopper: Hmm...yes. The return to the past does take priority over the upgrade. Hmm...ah I have an idea. Does anyone have a notepad?

Jeremy: I do sir!

Jeremy brought out a pad of paper from his shirt pocket and handed in to the Lyoko Creator. Hopper brought out a pen and quickly wrote down some notes on the paper. When he was done, he ripped the sheet out and handed it to Jeremy. Jeremy looked at it and saw that it was the ideas of the upgrades for the young warriors.

Hopper: You handle that and I'll take care of the Return to the Past.

Jeremy: I'll get right on it!

* * *

**Unknown Factory-Unknown Location**

Meanwhile, Matthew stepped out of a scanner in a factory far away, where XANA was waiting for him. He didn't look too pleased.

XANA: I'm disappointed in you Matthew. I thought you could handle your biggest enemy.

XANA Matthew: Forgive me Lord XANA. I didn't expect him to be that strong.

XANA: Hmm...you have been a wonderful asset to me...Very well, I will show mercy.

XANA Matthew: Thank you My Lord. It won't happen again.

Matthew smirked to himself as XANA left the room.

* * *

**Finally, the rivals clash. And it seems that Brandon has the upper hand. Who would have thought? Oh yeah...I WOULD HA! Anyway, I sure hope you all enjoyed the chapter. I've just been on an absolute roll with these. This is the like the 3rd chapter I've done in about what, the span of a week? Not too bad huh? Moving right along, like I said I hope you all enjoyed. If you did...well hopefully you all know the drill. But anyway, thank you guys again for reading and enjoying this chapter. And before I leave, I wanna give a big thanks to...guess who...yep pokemonking0924 for the idea of Brandon's weapon. Which by the way, is sorta similar to the one used in "Soul Eater." I DO NOT HAVE RIGHTS TO THEM! DON'T YELL AT ME FOR THAT!**

***Ahem* Anyway, more to come soon so just stay tuned. (Hey that rhymed) Until then, as always, FakeACU83 OUT!**


	56. Deep Freeze

_**Chapter 56: Deep Freeze**_

**The Next Day**

**Saturday-May 23rd**

**Kadic Academy**

With Brandon now a part of the Young Lyoko Warriors, the gang now felt that they truly had a chance to bring Matthew back home. They finally learned that he could be trusted and that he was willing to risk his life to bring him home and help destroy XANA. Brandon was overjoyed on the inside. For the first time in his whole life, he had found friends. And he never could have imagined that the friends he would make would actually be his rivals...or "ex-rivals" if you wanna put it that way. Either way, Brandon felt good on the inside. He felt more at peace, knowing that they understood why he was the way he was. But every now and then, he would still gaze up at the sky. But instead of wondering if his parents would forgive him for what he had done, he stood there smiling knowing that they were proud of him for righting his wrongs and making amends. The day after the gang had accepted him into the group, Brandon joined them at their table for breakfast.

Brandon: Hey, mind if I sit with you guys?

Gary: Sure mate, you're one of us now.

The gang all smiled and that was all Brandon needed.

Brandon: Thanks again guys for letting me join your cause. Man it feels good to have friends know what I mean?

The gang all nodded...except for Natalie. What Brandon just said made her think of Matthew, how they were his first friends when he moved from American to France back in August of last year, and now ironically were Brandon's first real friends. She sighed heavily and hung her head down low. She remembered that fateful night when XANA sent the Scyphozoa to Kadic and possessed her boyfriend right before her eyes. She remember his attack that night and the times she had to battle him, but ended up failing to stop him in the end. The gang noticed her sudden change in behavior and grew concerned.

Mariah: Nat, are you okay?

Natalie: To be honest...not really.

Brandon: Is it because I'm in the group now?

Natalie: No Brandon it's not that. I trust you now and so does everyone else. It's just what you said that it feels good to have friends...it just made me think of Matthew when he first came here.

The gang fell silent, immediately knowing what she meant. Brandon, on the other hand, was confused.

Brandon: What? Didn't he have friends before he came?

Alexis: Actually he didn't. All of the kids back at his old school in New York all made fun of him over his Southern Accent.

Jonah: It really put him down and the whole time he lived there, he was pretty much anti-social. Up until he came to Kadic, he had no friends. That was until he met Natalie and she introduced him to us.

Brandon was silent and stared at the gang. Then he turned to Natalie and saw a small tear dripping from her eye. He gently place his hand on her shoulder for comfort.

Brandon: Don't you worry Natalie, we'll get Matt back. We promise.

Natalie smiled slightly, but still felt worried about what XANA was doing to him deep inside. Meanwhile, at the Belpois Residence, Jeremy was busily typing away at his laptop, working on constructing and programming the gangs Lyoko upgrades. Franz Hopper gave him a list of upgrades for each of them, except for Brandon. Jeremy didn't know why Brandon didn't have any upgrades. Maybe it was because he was still fairly new to Lyoko and still needed to learn the ropes of everything. Speaking of Franz Hopper, because of the state of despair his old home, The Hermitage, was in he and Aelita gladly let him stay at their home. They introduced Hopper to their daughter Maya. Maya was confused by the man at first, and was even more confused when Aelita told her that he was her grandfather. At first, she didn't believe him, but after she explained to her about him going missing for so many years and only recently been found, she was assured that Hopper was her grandfather and gladly accepted him in her young life. Of course, Aelita didn't really go into detail about why he went "missing." Jeremy found it a great honor to have the Lyoko Creator staying with his family. He gave him access to his Study Hall to work on fixing the Return to the Past Program while Jeremy worked on the gang's upgrades. Everything was going smoothly until Jeremy's stomach started to growl begging for food. Jeremy quickly saved his progress and got up from the couch to go make himself and his family some breakfast. But, just like Natalie and the gang, he to was worried about his XANAfied apprentice. What would XANA have him do next and when would it happen? He pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind as he continued on finding some food. While he was searching, he could hear the faint tapping of keyboard keys coming from his Study Hall. He knew who was in there. Inside the room was Franz Hopper, busily typing away at various codes and commands for the Return to the Past program. He was trying his absolute hardest to get it done as quick as he could before another XANA attack and surprisingly he had made a lot of progress and was already about halfway done with fixing the program.

Hopper: Heh, nice try XANA. Child's play sabotage this is. I'll soon have this fixed.

Jeremy could hear him from the kitchen and smiled, knowing that one of their problems would soon be fixed. Just then, he heard a low yawn coming from the bedroom. He turned around and saw Aelita slowly coming out of the room in her pink night robe and hair all a mess.

Jeremy: Good morning sunshine.

Aelita: *yawn* Morning Jeremy. Making breakfast today?

Jeremy: Yep, what would you like?

Aelita: Hmm...surprise me.

Jeremy: Does you father want any?

Aelita: I'm not sure. Where is he?

Jeremy: In my Study Hall.

Aelita went towards the Study Hall and there indeed was her father.

Aelita: Morning Dad.

Hopper: Ah good morning my dear. Sleep well last night?

Aelita: Best sleep I've had in years now that you're back.

Hopper: I'm glad to hear it. It's good to be back home.

Aelita gave her father a morning hug to which he greatly returned.

Aelita: If I had to guess, that's the Return to the Past program?

Hopper: Indeed. I got up about 4 o'clock this morning to try and make some progress on it, and I'm pleased to say that it's actually nearly done.

Aelita: That fast?

Hopper: XANA's sabotage isn't all that great I must admit.

Aelita giggled as her father returned to work.

Aelita: Would you like some breakfast?

Hopper: No thank you. I've had a little when I got up.

Aelita nodded and returned to the kitchen.

Aelita: He already had some, but at least make enough for Maya as well.

Jeremy: Alright then.

And Jeremy went back to cooking.

* * *

**Kadic Academy-12:15 PM**

**Cafeteria**

The rest of the morning went about as normal as could be and soon it was lunchtime for the students. All the students were sitting down to a hardy lunch while Ulrich supervised the cafeteria to make sure that no nonsense or confusion happened. Things were running smoothly...at least for now. In the Desert Sector of Lyoko, one of the 10 towers there turned to red. XANA was at it again. The wires that were connected to the supercomputer flashed out several sparks and XANA's specter oozed right on out. His specter then made its way out of the factory, but didn't go straight to Kadic. Instead, it ascended into the sky and within a matter of moments, the bright blue sky was eaten away by dark gray clouds. But these clouds weren't rain clouds as the warriors were about to find out. The students were still enjoying their lunch, when Mariah looked over at the window and gasped.

Mariah: GUYS LOOK!

The gang, Ulrich, and the rest of the students heard her and looked out the window to see...

Jonah: SNOW!

All of the students cheered when they saw snow falling...all of them expect Natalie and Brandon, who found it very odd to see snow falling in the middle of May.

Natalie: ...Either the world went through a major climate shift...

Brandon: Or something else is going on.

But they weren't the only ones who were confused. Ulrich saw the snow falling to and instantly grew worried. He remembered a long time ago, back when he was a student at Kadic, that snow fell one random day and instantly turned into the worst blizzard in human history. It was one of XANA's attacks, to freeze the warriors and the city to death. He remembered how he was trying to help Yumi out from under a fallen tree that fell on top of her, but couldn't no matter how hard he tried and by the time Aelita deactivated the tower, Yumi was nearly gone. But luckily, Odd told Jeremy to hurry up with the Return to the Past and after that, Yumi was alive and everything was normal. But that day, XANA had almost won. And now that he was seeing the snow fall from the sky on what was a warm Spring day made him worried again. And his worries only increased when he saw all of the students jump out of their seats and run outside to play in the snow.

Ulrich: NO WAIT! GET BACK IN HERE! IT'S NOT SAFE!

Natalie: What do you mean Coach?

Ulrich turned to see Natalie and Brandon standing in front of him looking confused.

Ulrich: This sorta thing happened to my friends and I back when we were fighting XANA. It was one of his attacks, to freeze us to death. And he very well nearly succeeded.

The two young warriors felt their blood run cold.

Brandon: So...could XANA be attacking again?

Ulrich: He very well could be. You two head for the factory. I'll alert Jeremy and try to round everyone up and get to someplace warm...I hope.

The two young warriors wasted no time and quickly darted outside towards the woods. Gary, Jonah, Alexis, and Mariah were having a snowball fight when they saw their friends heading into the woods.

Gary: HEY GUYS! WHERE YA GOING?

Alexis: THE FUN'S OVER HERE!

But Brandon and Natalie didn't listen and just kept on running. Time was of the essence now. Meanwhile at the Belpois House, Jeremy was sitting down at the kitchen counter working on the gang's new upgrades. Aelita was sitting on the couch reading a book while Maya was sitting down beside her watching TV. Franz Hopper was still in the Study Hall working on the Return to the Past. Maya soon got bored of the TV and decided to go upstairs in her room to play. But as she got up from the couch, to caught a glimpse out the window. Her eyes went wide at what she saw.

Maya: Mom! Dad! Look it's snowing!

Jeremy: What?!

Jeremy quickly saved his work and looked out the window along with Aelita, while Maya went in the Study Hall to tell her grandfather. But as she was away, worry quickly grew up inside her parents.

Jeremy: This happened to us before. Snow on a warm day.

Aelita: You thinking what I'm thinking?

Just then, the XANA alarm went off on Jeremy's laptop. A couple of weeks ago, Jeremy was able to update his laptop's SuperScan to hopefully stop XANA's attacks go unnoticed.

Jeremy: XANA.

Maya: Come on grandpa, come and look!

The two warriors turned around and saw Maya dragging Hopper out of the Study Hall towards the window. But when the Lyoko Creator saw that it was snowing outside, he too grew concerned.

Hopper: This isn't right. It was warm Spring Day a minute ago.

He turned to Jeremy and Aelita.

Hopper: Do you two think it might be...

Aelita: We think so Dad.

Maya: Wait. Mom what you talking about.

But before she could answer, Hopper rushed back into the Study Hall. He quickly grabbed a disc out of the disc drive of the computer and put it in a case before coming back out.

Hopper: Take this Jeremy.

Jeremy: What is it?

Hopper: It's the Return to the Past Program.

Jeremy: It's finished?

Hopper: I think so. I did all I could to try and fix it.

Jeremy: Well I hope it works. Aelita, grab you jacket. We gotta hurry.

Maya: Wait Dad, where are you and Mom going?

Jeremy: Maya, I'm sorry but we don't have time to answer questions.

Maya: But...

Aelita: Just stay here with grandpa and we'll be back.

With that, the two warriors hurried outside to the car and quickly drove away to the factory. Maya looked out the window and watched her parents leave. Hopper came up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

Maya: Where are they going grandpa?

Hopper tried to act like he had no idea.

Hopper: I don't know my dear, but wherever they're going, I'm sure they'll be back soon.

Just then, within a matter of seconds, a strong gust of wind blasted outside against the window, causing more snow to pile up into massive snow drifts. The drifts were already and the base of the window and Maya grew cold instantly. Hopper noticed this and quickly turned up the fire place and wrapped a blanket around her. Over at Kadic, Ulrich was now gathering all of the students down into the basement of the school where the furnace was. He also made sure to bring plenty of warm blankets for each of them to share and keep warm. The gang were shivering out of their shoes as Ulrich handed them a big blanket for them.

Alexis: W...w...what's going on Coach? W..ww...why did it get so c...c...cold all of the sudden?

Ulrich: It's another XANA attack.

Mariah: What? Are you s...s...sure?

Ulrich: Oh I'm sure alright. In fact, XANA pulled this attack on us back when we were fighting him.

Jonah: What happened?

Ulrich: At first we had no idea. The snow started to fall gently then it started to pick up. As Mr. Delmas and my old PE teacher Jim were leading us down here, Odd, Yumi, and I made our way to the factory. But then we had to stop to help our rivals back then Sissi and Herve out of a TV producer's car which had crashed into a tree. We got them out and were about to move on, when the tree fell right on top of Yumi. Odd and I tried our best to get her out, but we couldn't. I told Odd to hurry to the factory to help Jeremy and Aelita, while I tried to get Yumi out. I tried all sorts of things. I tried to lift it off her, I tried to use a chain to pull it off of her, but nothing worked. The snow kept falling and the temperature kept dropping and slowly Yumi started to freeze. I stayed by her side, pleaded her to hold on. That's when the Return to the Past happened just before Yumi froze.

Gary: So...y...you think that's what's happening now?

Ulrich: Unfortunately yes.

The gang looked at each other worried. Now, they wished that they went with Brandon and Natalie instead of playing in the snow. On the roads of Boulogne-Billancourt, Jeremy was trying his absolute hardest to keep the car on the road and not slide into a snow bank. The temperature continued to drop and it showed, because both Jeremy and Aelita were started to shiver out of their wits. But luckily, they didn't live that far from the factory and they were so glad when they finally arrived. They quickly parked the car and ran inside the factory and headed down the elevator.

Aelita: I informed Yumi about what's happening and she told me that she would tell William and Odd and to get someplace warm while we handle XANA.

Jeremy: Ok good, but there's only one problem. At this point, it's only you that's going to Lyoko, which may I remind, worries me deeply.

?: Don't worry Mr. Belpois, she won't be alone.

Jeremy didn't notice that the elevator doors opened again to reveal the Computer Lab. And standing beside the computer was Natalie and Brandon. Jeremy let out a big sigh of relief.

Jeremy: Am I glad you two are here.

Natalie: We gotta hurry before XANA turns everyone into human popsicles.

Jeremy: Right. You three head for the scanners quick.

And they did so without question. As they went down to the scanner room, Jeremy jumped into the chair to start the virtualization process.

Jeremy: The activated tower is in the Desert Sector.

Brandon: Good, at least we'll be warm there.

Jeremy: No time for jokes Brandon, you got work to do. Transfer Brandon. Transfer Natalie. Transfer Aelita. Scanner Brandon. Scanner Natalie. Scanner Aelita. Virtualization!

* * *

**Lyoko-Desert Sector**

Within seconds, the three warriors dropped down into the Desert Sector.

Jeremy: The tower is South Southwest from where you are. So to make the journey easier for you Brandon, here's a bit of transportation.

Jeremy then virtualized the OverRacer in front of them. Brandon was impressed.

Brandon: Wow...who does this belong to?

Jeremy: It's Matthew's OverRacer. I've decided to let you use it for the time being and since the girls have wings for them to fly.

Brandon: Oh...wait wings?

Aelita and Natalie summoned their angel and fairy wings to show Brandon what Jeremy had meant. When he saw them, he was amazed.

Brandon: Woooooow. That's so cool. Alright, let's go!

Natalie: Hold on Brandon.

Natalie's wings disappeared and she dropped back down to the ground. She then walked over to the OverRacer.

Natalie: Would it be okay if I drive the OverRacer?

Brandon: Why may I ask?

Natalie: Well...just seeing it reminds me of Matt and I feel like driving it will help me feel close to him you see.

Brandon understood and smiled.

Brandon: I understand. You take the wheel and I'll sit behind.

So Natalie hopped in the driver seat and Brandon jumped in the passenger seat behind her. Aelita was watching from above and couldn't help but smile also.

Natalie: Alright, let's hurry!

Aelita: Follow me you two!

And Aelita took off through the virtual sky with Natalie and Brandon following in behind her. Luckily Natalie knew what the controls were on the OverRacer because she had seen Matthew use them many times in the past. Meanwhile back at Kadic, the weather grew worse by the minute. The snow was now coming down so hard and fast that you could barely even see your hand in front of you. The wind was now blowing at around 50 mph and buffeting everything in its path. In the basement, Ulrich and the rest of the students were all huddled around the open furnace trying to stay warm, but it wasn't working. With all of them being underground, that was where the cold was at its worst. Ulrich looked at his phone. He had a thermometer on it and it said that it was -50 degrees Fahrenheit. He sighed to himself and looked at his students, who were all shivering out of their skin.

Ulrich: Come on guys...hurry...

Back on Lyoko, Aelita could see the activated tower from above.

Aelita: Tower in sight everyone!

Brandon looked ahead and saw his first red glowing tower.

Brandon: So those are the towers that XANA uses to come to Earth?

Natalie: Only if it's red like that one, then yes.

Brandon: So, how do we deactivate it?

Aelita: You don't, I do. All you two have to do is...OOF!

Aelita was suddenly shot out of the sky but a surprise laser and fell hard onto the ground, costing her 30 lifepoints.

Jeremy: Aelita, are you okay?

Aelita: Yes, I'm fine but...I have a feeling I know who's here.

Just as she said that, the computer picked up some activity. Jeremy looked further up ahead on the screen and saw 5 entities coming towards them. One of them he already knew.

Jeremy: Get ready guys. XANA's sent you some monsters and his best warrior.

Aelita quickly got to her feet as Natalie skidded to a stop beside her. The three warriors looked in front of them and saw a large dust cloud looming towards them. Within the cloud, they could hear the loud sound of a engine. Natalie and Aelita knew who it was, but Brandon didn't.

Brandon: What is that coming at us? And what's the noise?

Natalie: ...It's Matthew.

Brandon: SAY WHAT?!

Just then, he heard a suddenly demonic laughter.

XANA Matthew: HA HA HA! Welcome back Brandon!

The dust cloud suddenly faded away and they all could see Matthew racing towards them in his XANAfied OverRacer. Following behind him were 2 Tarantulas and 2 Krabs. Brandon gasped at the sight of the monsters. This was the first time he had seen any of XANA's creations.

Brandon: What the heck are those?!

Aelita: Those are XANA's monsters. Hit them in the place that looks like an eye. That's their weak spot.

With that, Aelita took back to the skies and flew off towards Matthew and the monsters. Natalie quickly followed suit, activating her fairy wings and flying off with her, leaving Brandon standing there confused. Matthew signaled one Tarantula and one Krab to go get Aelita and the other monsters to get Natalie. He was more focused on Brandon. The monsters parted ways and Matthew pressed the throttle down further and sped towards Brandon. The new warrior saw that he was heading straight for him. He quickly jumped out of the original OverRacer just in the nick of time as Matthew jumped out of his XANAfied OverRacer at the last second and his vehicle collided head-on with his old vehicle. Brandon quickly jumped back up to his feet and as the dust settled, there was Matthew with his War Hammers in hand, staring coldly at him.

XANA Matthew: So I see that you've come back. Which I'm quite happy about honestly. Last time didn't end the way I had planned. So I hope you don't mind if I do it right this time.

At first, Brandon felt nervous and tense, but he managed to put on a brave face as he grabbed his purple and black scythe off his back holder and prepared himself for another fight with Matthew.

Brandon: Up for Round 2 Matthew?

XANA Matthew: Works for me!

Matthew made the first move, tossing one of his hammers straight at him, but Brandon was quick to react and knocked the hammer out of the way with his scythe blade. With one hammer out of the way, Brandon used this as an opportunity. He charged in and swung his scythe multiple times, but Matthew was able to duck and dodge all of them. He them roundhouse kicked Brandon straight off his feet and to the ground and used his chance to run and grab his other hammer. Once he did, Brandon jumped right back to his feet and continued on with the battle. Meanwhile, Natalie and Aelita were busy with their own battles. The Tarantula and Krab were ganging up hard on Natalie as they fired laser after laser over and over again. Natalie tried to counterattack, but was too busy trying not to get blasted away by the lasers. The monsters then began to move slowly closer to her while still shooting multiple lasers at her. Natalie began backing away from them, but wasn't paying attention to where she was going. The monsters kept moving in closer and Natalie was backing up towards the edge of the plateau. Then, she slipped off the edge and fell down towards the Digital Sea. The monsters seemed satisfied and began to move in on Aelita. However, they had forgotten one little thing.

Natalie: Think you monsters got rid of me that easily?

The monsters turned around just in time to see Natalie flying straight at them at a tremendous speed with her wings. Before the monsters could even get a chance to attack, Natalie flew just inches above them and jabbed both of her blades in each of their XANA Eyes and destroyed them both with ease.

Natalie: That's what happens when you mess with me.

Meanwhile, Aelita was having a little bit better luck with her monster friends. She had already taken to the sky and fired quite a few Energy Fields, but wasn't able to hit any of them. Then the Tarantula fired a shot at her and ended up hitting her stomach, causing her to fall back down to the ground. With the shot and the fall, she was now down to just 20 lifepoints. Groaning in pain, she slowly got back to her knees. The monsters were now looming over her and charging up their lasers. But they were in for a surprise as the sudden sound of angelic singing echoed throughout the Sector. It was Aelita's Creativity and she was creating a massive hole beneath the monsters that led straight to the Digital Sea. The monsters never saw it coming, as part of the ground disappeared under them and both monsters plummeted down into the Digital Sea, getting destroyed instantly.

Aelita: I love it when a surprise attack goes to plan.

While all this was happening, the two bitter rivals were still at it...surprising isn't it...Each time they would go back and forth attacking, with Matthew attacking Brandon and Brandon attacking Matt back. But most of the time was just ducking and dodging each other's blows. But now Matthew was starting to gain traction. He could see that Brandon was starting to get worn out. He used this to his advantage and quickly knocked one of his hammers straight onto his left shoulder, causing Brandon to lose 20 lifepoints. Brandon groaned in pain and that was all that Matt needed. He then slammed his other hammer into his other shoulder and then his stomach before kicking him back about 10 feet making Brandon slide to a stop along the sand. Brandon was now down to just 20 lifepoints as well and it showed as he was worn out from the fighting and getting hit multiple times. He then saw Matthew stand above up, summoning his William-like sword and smirking evilly at him.

XANA Matthew: Looks like things turned out better for me. What a shame for you, a lousy excuse for a Lyoko Warrior.

That was the last straw for Brandon. He dug down deep and suddenly jumped back up to his feet. But as he did so, Matthew noticed that something was different about him. Brandon's eyes were glowing purple like he acting like a man possessed. Matthew was caught off guard as Brandon gripped his scythe's shaft even harder. He didn't notice that his scythe's blade was glowing dark purple, but Matthew did. But before he could react, Brandon screamed into the heavens letting all of his anger out before swinging his scythe with all his strength he could muster. A dark purple laser slash shot out of the scythe's blade and collided straight into Matthew's stomach, making his fly backwards and costing him 50 lifepoints. Matthew fell to the ground after that and Brandon saw his chance. He jumped up in the air and with an almighty swing, he jabbed his scythe in Matt's chest, which did enough damage for him to be devirtualized in smoke. Jeremy, Natalie, and Aelita saw everything.

Aelita: ...Oh my...

Natalie: I don't think I've ever seen him snap like that...

Jeremy: Brandon calm down! You devirtualized Matthew.

Brandon's eyes slowly returned to their normal color and he started to come back to his senses.

Brandon: Woah...what happened?

Natalie: You just completely annihilated Matthew.

Aelita: You got so angry at what Matthew was saying to you that your eyes glowed purple. Almost like you were possessed.

Brandon: ...Mr. Belpois...is there any explanation for that?

Jeremy: Hmm...maybe you have hidden Lyoko ability. But I'll have to run a scan on your form. I'll do that after Aelita deactivates the tower. Which by the way, is now all clear.

Aelita looked back at the tower and smiled.

Aelita: Off I go!

And she sprinted off to the tower once more. Back at Kadic, the weather was now at its coldest. The temperature was now down to -75 degress and the wind picked up to about 60 mph. The students, staff, and Ulrich could bear it anymore. Their bodies were starting to freeze up completely. They were doomed...or were they? Aelita had already ascended to the top of the tower and prepared herself to enter the code. While she was doing that, Jeremy had inserted Franz Hopper's computer disc with the fixed Return to the Past program on it. He began running the program praying that it would work. Aelita had now typed in Code: Lyoko.

Aelita: Tower deactivated.

The tower changed from red back to blue and the weather at Kadic started to stop and grow more sunny. Some snow began to melt, but the people inside were nearly frozen. Jeremy took a deep breath and pressed ENTER.

Jeremy: Return to the past now!

The white light emitted itself out of the supercomputer for the first time in a while and consumed everything around it and faded away.

* * *

**Kadic Academy-Cafeteria**

**Saturday May 23rd-12:10 PM**

Brandon: Wait...didn't we just do this already?

Brandon was now completely confused. It was now lunchtime again...the same lunch period before XANA attacked.

Natalie: Looks like the Return to the Past worked!

Brandon: Mind explaining?

Gary: The Return to the Past is a program we use to turn back in time after a XANA attack.

Jonah: We use it to erase all of XANA's chaos and everyone else's memory.

Alexis: The only ones who aren't affected by it are us Lyoko Warriors.

Mariah: Meaning when you first went to Lyoko, your body adjusted itself to it and thus adjusted itself to the Return to the Past. Meaning you're now a full-fledged Lyoko Warrior!

Brandon smiled at this.

Brandon: Thanks guys. Oh wait Natalie, what happened to me on Lyoko...you know with me getting angry?

At that moment, Natalie's phone rang. She looked at the number and saw that it was Jeremy.

Natalie: Yes Mr. Belpois?

Jeremy: Brandon is there with you right?

Natalie: Yes sir. Here he is.

She handed her phone to him.

Brandon: Yes Mr. Belpois?

Jeremy: I've done a scan on your Lyoko form to see if I could find anything about that "anger attack".

Brandon: Did you find anything?

Jeremy: Actually yes. Apparently, you do have a hidden ability in your Lyoko form and it can be triggered by massive amounts of anger. When all that anger is stored up inside you, your eyes turn purple and suddenly, you have incredible amounts of strength. I guess Matthew's provoking was one way of triggering it.

Brandon: Is there a way I could control it?

Jeremy: How you control it is up to you. It's your power and your responsibility.

Brandon: I understand sir. Thanks.

Jeremy hung up the call and Brandon gave Natalie her phone.

Natalie: Well...what did he say?

Brandon: Apparently...I'm the Avatar of Lyoko.

And he explained to them what Jeremy had said. Over at Jeremy and Aelita's house, the two warriors were explaining everything to Franz Hopper, including the revival of the Return to the Past. Hopper seemed very pleased that all his work payed off.

Jeremy: Looks like everything is in check and squared away sir. Everything is...wait a moment...what's this?

Aelita and Hopper grew perplexed as Jeremy began looking further into the program. He then spotted something alarming. He saw on the upper right of the screen was a small window that had the writing "Return to the Pasts left" and it showed the number 9. Jeremy grew concerned.

Jeremy: Oh no...this is not good.

Aelita: What is it dear?

Jeremy: The Return to the Past worked...but now we have a limited amount of them left to use.

Aelita: What? What do you mean?

Hopper:Oh dear...

Aelita: Daddy?

Hopper: I thought I fixed the program fully. I must have either mis-clicked something on the program or typed in the wrong command...but whatever it might be, I seemed to have altered the Return Program.

Aelita: Wait...your saying that the program is bugged up?

Hopper: To put it in a way yes. Only this bug might not be one I could fix. This bug has caused the Return to the Past to have a limited number of uses. Before the last trip back, there were 10 and now there's only 9.

Jeremy: Meaning we're going to have to be very VERY careful of when to use the another Return Trip, because if we use them all up...XANA's chaos will definitely remain on Earth.

Aelita sat there on the couch contemplating what her husband and father had said to her.

Aelita: This war has definitely taken an unexpected turn.

* * *

**Indeed it has Aelita. Indeed it has. Boy, this whole deal with the Return to the Past has just opened up another can of worms hasn't it. Now, our heroes have to be even more mindful of when to use them. How will all that play out? Only one way to find out. And that's to keep on reading. But not until the next chapter anyways. But moving right along, I hope you guys enjoyed this...I guess you can say "Throwback" kinda of chapter...you know with the unbearable blizzard like in Season 2 Episode 19 of Code Lyoko. I guess this one is sorta based off that, but the idea for doing this chapter came from my man pokemonking0924. Thanks again dude! Anyway, thank you guys again for reading this chapter. If you like it, be sure to leave me a review telling me and be sure to follow and favorite. Now before I leave, I have an ****announcement.**

**I'm already planning out ideas for the finale of New Youth and I need some ideas on a final battle kind of thing. I've already gotten an idea from my friend INSAGNIA, but I want to hear some more ideas from you guys. That way, I have options for the finale. Now I know what you guys are saying, _"Oh FakeACU, but you'll be going to Boot Camp soon."_** **I know that, but it's still always good to have ideas to keep in your head so that when I do come back, I can use them. See what I mean? I hope so. But anyway...**

**Thank you guys again for reading and be sure to stay tuned for the next chapter. But until then, as always, FakeACU83 OUT!**


	57. Vulnerability

_**Chapter 57: Vulnerability**_

**Unknown Factory-Unknown Location**

Matthew emerged from a scanner after failing to stop Aelita from deactivating the tower that XANA had used to cause another blizzard at Kadic. Matthew pounded the floor with his fist in frustration. It wasn't HIS fault that he had lost. From out of nowhere, Brandon just took him down like it was nothing. But that wasn't what XANA was thinking when he showed up to see him.

XANA: You've let me down again Matthew! I'm starting to have second doubts about putting my trust in you.

XANA Matthew: I understand Lord XANA, but it wasn't my fault. I didn't expect Brandon to be that strong.

XANA: You said that the first time you saw him on Lyoko you moron!

XANA Matthew: But something was different about him this time. His eyes were glowing purple and had the strength of 10 Lyoko Warriors by my guess.

XANA: Hmm...is that so?

XANA Matthew: I know what I saw my Lord.

XANA: Very well then. I'll give you another chance but we need to keep those wretched fools at bay. I still need more time to finish up my master plans.

XANA Matthew: I have a suggestion my Lord.

XANA looked at his slave perplexed.

XANA: Have you now? Go on.

And Matthew explained his plan to stall the Warriors to XANA. When he had finished, XANA chuckled in his low demonic voice.

XANA: Excellent idea Matthew. But we'll have to wait until just the right moment and then we'll strike.

XANA Matthew: Yes my Lord.

XANA: And also, we may have to get them one at a time.

XANA Matthew: Understood Lord XANA.

Matthew grinned slyly.

XANA Matthew: _(to himself) They'll never see this one coming._

* * *

**The Next Day**

**Sunday-May 24th**

**Kadic Academy-Courtyard**

The next afternoon, the gang were gathered around a bench outside in the courtyard discussing the school year so far. The school year was about to end at the end of May and all of the students were very much looking forward to their summer vacation. But the gang vacation was the last thing on their minds. They were more worried about how they were going to handle XANA as his attacks once they were away from the campus and back home. They didn't have all the gadgets and gizmos that Jeremy had to help keep track of him and knowing how unpredictable XANA could be, that just adding more worry.

Gary: Maybe...we can ask our folks if we could stay at Mr. Belpois' place...to get a head start on next school year?

Alexis: ...And you honestly think they're going to allow that let alone believe that we actually want to do schoolwork and homework during vacation?

Jonah: Has your brain gone soft Gary?

Gary: Ok ok, so it's not a good idea, sheesh! Do you guys have any better ideas?

The gang pondered that carefully...but said nothing.

Gary: Yeah I didn't think so.

Jeremy: But I do.

The gang tuned around and saw Jeremy walking up the pathway coming from the school's front gates. The gang were surprised to see him, especially on a Sunday.

Natalie: Hi Mr. Belpois. What brings you here? School doesn't start until tomorrow.

Jeremy: I realize that Natalie, but I'm here for Brandon.

Brandon: Eh? Why me sir?

Jeremy: Myself and Franz Hopper had a discussion yesterday about you. We know that you have proven yourself worthy of being a Lyoko Warrior, but because you're still fairly new to Lyoko, we came to the conclusion that you're in need of training.

The gang knew where this was going the moment Jeremy said it. Although Brandon was still confused.

Brandon: What sort of training?

Jeremy: Why not ask your friends?

Brandon turned to the gang?

Brandon: I'm guessing you guys had Lyoko training at some point didn't ya.

Mariah: Yep we did.

Brandon: So...what kind of training did you do?

Gary: First we each did a solo mission, where we had to find an activated tower and destroy the monsters that were guarding it as quick as we could.

Natalie: We then had a tag team session where we used our vehicles to do the same thing. Locate the tower and beat the monsters.

Brandon: Then what?

Jonah: Then we had a group competition between us and Mr. Belpois' friends in a Lyoko styled version of Capture the Flag.

Brandon: Who won?

Jonah: We did thanks to Gary's quick thinking and attacks.

Brandon: Cool! Then what?

Alexis: The next training we had was our Sector 5 training.

Brandon: Sector 5? That's the Core Sector you mentioned before right Mr. Belpois?

Jeremy: That's the one.

Alexis: Although that bit of training came as a surprised when XANA tricked us into thinking that we were at Kadic when really we weren't. But that's another story.

Natalie: Then after that came our Digital Sea training.

Brandon: Wait wait wait...isn't the Digital Sea supposed to make you go "Bye Bye"?

Jeremy: If you were to fall into it unprotected then yes, but they were in a virtual submarine that my wife and I created long ago. I upgraded it to hold them and my friends only a few months ago.

Brandon: And that was it?

Gary: Pretty much yeah.

Brandon: So...I'm gonna have to go through ALL of that?

Jeremy: Actually not necessarily.

Brandon: Huh?

Jeremy: I've actually thought about it a lot last night and came to the conclusion that you already did your solo mission. When you first arrived at Lyoko and battled against Matthew and won. Then just yesterday when you, Natalie, and my wife Aelita stopped XANA's freezing attack, I concluded that as your tag team and group training. So now, all that's left is Sector 5 and the Digital Sea.

Brandon: Oh...well that doesn't sound too bad.

Jeremy: Glad to hear you say that, because I tend to start your Sector 5 training today and I want you 5 to go with him.

Jonah: May I ask why? I mean, we've already had our training.

Jeremy: Yes but Sector 5 is a tricky Sector to navigate and pretty dangerous for a newcomer. So I want you all to go with him and help guide him through it.

The gang now understood and agreed.

Jeremy: Great. Now then Brandon, follow me to the factory and we'll get started.

So Jeremy led the gang into the park and towards the sewers. However, they were unaware that they were being watched by somebody. Coming out of the campus and entering the courtyard was Mr. Hamilton. He was trying to figure out how Gary and Jonah knew how to take down XANA's monsters that night at the costume party and wanted to find answers from them right away. But then, he saw Jeremy talking not only to them, but to Natalie, Alexis, Mariah, and Brandon. He couldn't hear what he was saying, but it got him interested. And he was even more perplexed when he saw Jeremy leading them to the park. His curiosity got the better of him and he decided to follow them. Keeping his distance and making sure no other student or staff member was watching, he sneakily followed Jeremy and the gang. He could see them just in front of him in a small clearing. He pushed through the bushes and came into the clearing...but saw that nobody was there. The only thing that was there was a manhole cover.

Mr. Hamilton: That's strange...where did they go?

Mr. Hamilton was now even more confused, but shrugged it off and walked back to the campus.

Mr. Hamilton: Hmm...I wonder what Jeremy's doing with those kids. And why were they following him into the park? Hmm...I'll have to be more diligent if I...OOF!

Stephanie: OOPS! Sorry Mr. Hamilton, I wasn't paying attention to where I was walking.

Mr. Hamilton had been so busy thinking that he had accidentally bumped into Stephanie. Brushing himself off, he spoke back to her.

Mr. Hamilton: No harm done Miss Stephanie. Say, you wouldn't happen to know where Gary, Jonah, Mariah, Alexis, Natalie, and Brandon have gone off to.

Stephanie looked confused.

Stephanie: I wish I did sir, but I don't. I'm actually looking for Brandon myself. I have something to tell him.

Mr. Hamilton: What a shame then. Well I hope you find him.

And with that he walked away leaving Stephanie standing beside one of the courtyard benches.

Stephanie: I hope so to...

* * *

**A Few Minutes Later**

**Lyoko-Sector 5**

Jeremy: Virtualization!

Brandon dropped down into Sector 5 for the first time and landed between the rest of the gang who had been virtualized just moments before him. Brandon gazed around the spinning dome that he was standing in.

Brandon: So this is the Core Sector...what goes on here?

Jeremy: Sector 5 is pretty much an ever-changing labyrinth, filled with all kinds of traps.

Brandon: Well that's just great. So what's my mission.

Jeremy: Your mission is to make it to the Celestial Dome, a.k.a the edge of Sector 5. From there, you'll have to fight some monsters on your own, without the help from your friends. I'll be in control of the monsters, which will give off a greenish aura. From there, I'll call up the vehicles, and you all will travel down into the Core Room. After you enter the room, you mission will end.

Brandon: Hmm...sounds easy enough.

Gary: (to Jonah) I'd like to hear him say that after this mission.

Jonah snickered to himself as the dome started to slow down and the door leading to the arena opened up.

Jeremy: The door's open Brandon. Lead the way.

Brandon: Well here goes.

And with the young warriors travelling behind him, Brandon led the gang through the hallway and into the arena. However, they had no idea that XANA was watching them. From his interface in the tower, XANA saw the young warriors venture into the arena. He chuckled to himself evilly.

XANA: Matthew, it seems that our "friends" have arrived sooner than we expected. Time to put your plan into action.

Matthew, who was in a the unknown scanner room somewhere on Earth, heard his master from an intercom. He grinned slyly as he started up a virtualization program to Lyoko. Once done, he stepped into the lone scanner and was sent off to Lyoko. Before long, the gang had entered the arena. The gang gazed around the room.

Brandon: What...that's it? It's completely empty.

Brandon was right, the room was empty. No traps, no jumps, no bottomless pits, just the floor, ceiling, and the hallway on the other side. Although from what Jeremy saw on the map, Brandon was wrong.

Jeremy: Not quite Brandon. This isn't just a single room, it's one of many.

Gang: Eh?

Jeremy: Sector 5's changed it up a bit and has now become a maze. But don't worry, I'll guide you all through. Take the hallway in front of you first.

So the gang ran towards the other side of the room and through the hallway. When they reached the other end of the tunnel...

Jeremy: Turn right!

And so they did and then went down another hallway. Brandon was still in front of the group when they entered the third room. They saw that there was only one hallway there, and it was on the other side of the empty room. Brandon made a beeline for it with the gang hot on his heels...when...

Jeremy: Guys watch out!

Suddenly, the floor beneath them began to shake, then as quick as a wink, the floor broke a part into several floating platforms. Brandon was all by his lonesome in the middle of the room, with the Gary and Jonah on a platform behind him, and the girls on a platform behind them.

Brandon: Uh...is that normal?

Jeremy: Unfortunately yes. You have a lot to learn Brandon.

Brandon: I realize that. No time to waste.

With that, Brandon summoned all of his strength and jumped off his current platform and onto another one in front of him. He did the same thing again and again until he was safely across to the other side. He turned around and saw that the rest of the gang weren't far behind him. They too were jumping from platform to platform as if they were competing in parkour. But eventually, they all made it to the other side safely.

Jeremy: Nice work everyone. Now Brandon, head through that tunnel and you'll start your battle. Everyone else, wait there until he's done.

Brandon: *sigh* Here goes!

And Brandon took off through the tunnel and popped out the other side, now at the Celestial Dome.

Brandon: Woooow...look at this!

Jeremy: Welcome to the Celestial Dome Brandon and say "Hello" to your monsters.

Brandon suddenly heard a low groaning noise coming from behind him. He turned around and saw a group of 4 Creepers crawling up towards him, all glowing green just as Jeremy said.

Brandon: Ick! Ugly looking things these are. Time for you to go down.

Brandon quickly grabbed his scythe just as the Creepers started to fire. Multiple lasers came out of their cannons in their mouths, but not all of them hit Brandon. Some went right on past him, while others were blocked by his scythe. One laser bounced off of the scythe's blade and ended up hitting the Creeper instead, causing it to be destroyed.

Brandon: Alright, 1 down.

Brandon then charged in at the 3 remaining monsters and jumped up on top of one of them and sliced his scythe clean through it then jumped down between the last two and spun around in a circle to destroy the last of them.

Brandon: Too easy of a fight.

Jeremy: You say that now, but here comes round 2.

Suddenly, Brandon heard the sound of wings flapping. Coming out for behind the sphere were 3 Mantas also glowing green.

Brandon: Well this just got interesting.

The Mantas all flew in towards him firing their lasers, but Brandon was quick to react as he jumped off the ledge and landed on top of of one of the Mantas. He quickly jabbed the blade into the XANA Eye before jumping towards the 2nd one and doing the same thing. Then afterwards, he jumped onto the third and final Manta and jabbed his purple and black scythe into the XANA Eye for the last time. The Manta exploded a moment later as Brandon jumped off and landed back onto the ledge. Lucky for him, he was still close enough for him to land safely. Jeremy was impressed.

Jeremy: Job done Brandon and with flying colors too. Now it's onwards to the Core Room. Do you know how to skateboard?

Brandon: You bet ya!

Jeremy: Well that's good to hear because I'm going to let you borrow one of my friend's vehicles.

Jeremy typed in a command and a second later, the OverBoard was spawned beside Brandon.

Brandon: Wow! That's so cool! How does it work?

Jeremy: Just as a normal skateboard would.

Brandon: Works for me!

He jumped onto the OverBoard and was ready to go when...

Jeremy: Hold it Brandon! You gotta wait for your friends.

Brandon: Oh yeah.

Within a few seconds, the rest of the gang showed up and hopped into the OverBuggy, OverCopter, and OverRacer that Jeremy had spawned in moments before.

Brandon: So those are Gary and Alexis' vehicles?

Gary: Yep!

Alexis: Sure are!

Brandon: _(to himself) I wonder if I'll get my own._

Brandon's thoughts were cut short when he saw Natalie start to pull away from the ledge in the original OverRacer heading for the South Pole of Sector 5. Brandon followed close behind, with Gary, Jonah, Alexis, and Mariah following suit. They soon made it to the opening and closing door of the South Pole. Natalie went first and made it inside without getting crushed. The rest of the gang followed her and safely made it inside, but Brandon was nervous.

Jeremy: You can do it Brandon.

Brandon: What if I don't make it?

Jeremy: Don't worry about it. You'll be devirtualized and be brought back to Earth. Just focus on getting the timing just right.

Brandon concentrated on the speed and rhythm of the door. When he thought he got it, he took a deep breath and raced towards the door and made inside just in time. He arrived at the Core Room door moments later feeling relieved.

Brandon: Phew! I didn't think I'd make it through there.

Alexis: It's all about learning Brandon.

Alexis pushed in the key that kept the Core Room sealed and moment later, the door opened and revealed the massive staircase that led to Lyoko's Core.

Jeremy: Last stage of the training everyone! GO!

So they did. With Brandon leading the way and the gang right behind him, they all climbed the staircase and after a few minutes, they reached the Core Chamber. Brandon gasped as the others gathered around him.

Brandon: So...that's Lyoko's Core?

Jonah: That it is man. That it is.

Brandon: So...what would happen if it were to get destroyed?

As soon as he said that, memories of Matthew's attack flooded back into Natalie's brain. She hung her head down as Mariah spoke up when she saw this.

Mariah: Don't ask.

Brandon: But...

Mariah: Just don't.

She motioned over to Natalie. When Brandon saw this, he then understood.

Jeremy: Alright everyone, that concludes Brandon's Sector 5 training. Nice work young man, now we just have to get you trained in the Digital Sea.

Brandon: I'll be ready Mr. Belpois!

Jeremy: That will have to wait until a later date. But for now, let's have you all come back out to the Core Room door and I'll open up a path for you to the Forest Sector.

The gang did what they were told and turned around and walked back down the staircase towards the exit. But Natalie stayed for a few moments longer, and the gang didn't seem to realize.

Natalie: Being back in here...just brings back so many horrible memories about that day.

Natalie tried pushing those thoughts out of her mind, but they wouldn't go away...that was until she saw that she was by herself.

Natalie: Hey guys, wait for me!

She turned around and started to run back towards the staircase, when she heard a strange sound. It sounded like slime oozing with a funny screeching noise.

Natalie: Wha...what's that noise?

Natalie started to grow nervous, and it only intensified when she heard a sudden evil laughter. A laughter she dreaded to hear.

Natalie: Oh no...

On the floor where she was standing, there was a large hole in the middle that led down to the edge of the Celestial Dome. Suddenly, from out of that hole came the monster that she saw possess her boyfriend that fateful night.

Natalie: The...the Scyphozoa!

Jeremy heard Natalie through his earpiece and saw on the screen the Scyphozoa.

Jeremy: Oh no! Natalie!

But it wasn't just the Scyphozoa that frightened her. She saw something on top of the monster's bulb shaped head...or should I say someone.

XANA Matthew: Heh heh heh. I have you now Natalie! You're all alone now and completely vulnerable. Now I'll use that chance to stop you!

Natalie: Not if I can stop you first!

Natalie drew out her blades and threw both of them at Matthew, but the Scyphozoa knocked them away with its tentacles. The swords were knocked away to the far right side of the room, leaving Natalie defenseless. Then, the Sycphozoa started to close in on her. Natalie was scared out of her wits. She backed away slowly but the giant monster kept coming. Eventually, she backed herself into a wall and the Scyphozoa crowded around her, making her chances of escape possible. Then the giant jellyfish wrapped its tentacles around her just as they did with Matthew. The monster brought her off the floor far enough for her XANAfied boyfriend to look her in the eyes and chuckle.

XANA Matthew: You won't be able to stop me this time.

Matthew snapped his fingers and the Scyphozoa's tentacles turned red. Meanwhile outside of the room, the gang had made their way back to their vehicles when...

Jeremy: Guys emergency!

Gary: What's wrong Jeremy? Where's...wait a minute...where's Natalie?

Natalie: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Just then they heard Natalie's loud screaming coming from inside the Core Room.

Jeremy: That's the emergency! Go help her!

The gang wasted no time and rushed back inside, but when they got up the stairs again, they gasped as the saw the Scyphozoa having a hold of her. And what was worse, they saw Matthew sitting on top of the monster laughing in his evil ways.

Mariah: HANG ON NAT!

XANA Matthew: Huh? Ah good, some more guests.

Gary: Sorry mate, but we're no guests here.

Gary threw her boomerangs at Matthew, but the XANAfied warrior backflipped off the Scyphozoa and summoned his red demon wings. Mariah fired a fee lasers from her guns, but Matthew dodged them all. Then, he snapped his fingers again and the Scyphozoa released Natalie, who fell down to the floor breathing heavily. Matthew laughed loudly as he and the Scyphozoa retreated down the hole in the floor and disappeared. The gang ran up towards Natalie to see if she was alright.

Alexis: Nat...are you okay?

To their surprise, Natalie looked at them with no XANA possessed eyes.

Natalie: I'm not sure...I feel kinda weird.

Jonah: Explain a little more.

Natalie: Like...I feel very weak...I can't really explain it much better.

Jeremy: Wait...hold on a second.

A thought had suddenly struck Jeremy's head. This has happened before...

Jeremy: Oh no not again. Everyone, I need you to get Natalie to a tower now!

Brandon: Why sir?

Jeremy: No time for questions! Just get her to a tower! I'll open a passage to the Forest Sector.

So with Natalie wrapping an arm around Gary and Jonah, the two warriors helped their friend walk out of the Core Room and slowly but surely guided her down to their vehicles. They gently set her down into the passenger seat of the OverRacer.

Jeremy: Brandon, do you think you can drive Natalie out?

Brandon: The controls don't look to complex. Yeah I think so.

Jeremy: Good. Gary, the I opened the passage to the Forest Sector. Lead the way and I'll guide you to a tower.

Gary: Roger that!

So with Gary leading the way, the young warriors flew out of the South Pole of the sphere and raced through the open passage leading to the Forest Sector, while Jeremy prepared a special scan to do on Natalie when they arrived.

Jeremy: Oh man...I hope it's not what I think it is.

Before long, the gang had reached a tower that Jeremy had located. They brought their vehicles down safely to the ground and Gary and Jonah helped Natalie out of the OverRacer.

Jeremy: Ok, now take Natalie inside the tower and leave her there so I can do a scan.

Jonah: Got'cha boss!

So slowly and carefully, the two roommates guided Natalie inside the tower. Once they were inside, Natalie instantly started to feel better. To the point where she was standing on her own two feet by herself. This astonished Gary and Jonah greatly.

Natalie: Wow...I feel a lot better now.

Gary: Uh...how is that possible? You were just as weak as a baby a second ago.

Jeremy: Oh dear...this can't be good.

Natalie: I don't like the sound of that...what do you mean Mr. Belpois?

Jeremy: Gary and Jonah, leave the tower please. Natalie, stand in the center of the platform for me.

So Gary and Jonah left Natalie in the tower, while she stood in the middle of the XANA Eye platform. Jeremy activated a full body scan on her and a faint white glow formed around her. While the scan was running, Jeremy materialized the rest of the gang back to Earth and they joined him back up in the lab moments later. After about a minute, the white glow faded away and Jeremy received the results of the scan. But he was not happy with what he saw.

Jeremy: Oh no, that's just what I feared.

Natalie: What's the matter?

Jeremy: The Scyphozoa took a part of your DNA sequence that is needed to materialize you. Meaning without that, you can't come back to Earth and if you lose all of your lifepoints...you'll be devirtualized for good.

The gang gasped at what he said. Natalie stood in the tower speechless...but only for a moment.

Natalie: But how am I gonna get back to Earth?! And how am I supposed to survive out here on my own?!

Jeremy: As far as getting you back, that'll take a while. But this sort of thing happened to Yumi also. So I at least have something to go by. As far as you being on your own, don't worry about that. I'm going to send you someone who has survived on Lyoko for many years.

Natalie: Who would that be?

Jeremy: My wife Aelita.

* * *

**A Few Minutes Later**

_Aelita: So the Scyphozoa attacked Natalie and stole her DNA sequence?_

Jeremy: Just like what happened to Yumi 20 years ago.

_Aelita: And you want me to stay on Lyoko with her until you can find the sequence?_

Jeremy: What better person to turn to than you after all those years you spent on Lyoko.

_Aelita:__ *giggle* Alright, I'll be right over._

Jeremy hung up the call with Aelita and turned to face the gang.

Jeremy: For the time being, you all go back to Kadic. I'll stay here and send Aelita to Lyoko and try to find out where Natalie's DNA sequence is. But it may be a while so just bare with me on it.

Brandon: Pardon me Mr. Belpois but, if you can't find the sequence before tomorrow, how do we explain to her teachers why she's absent?

Jeremy: I've thought about that already. Just tell Mr. Hamilton that she's called in sick and requests not to be disturbed while she rests. He'll tell her teachers then afterwards.

The gang looked at each other and shrugged, reluctantly agreeing.

Jeremy: Good. Now off you go kids. I've got a lot of work to do.

So the gang left Jeremy to work and ascended up the elevator before heading out of the factory and back towards Kadic. Jeremy typed in various commands on the keyboard to try and locate Natalie's missing sequence. Natalie meanwhile, sat in the tower bored as could be.

Natalie: UGH! There's nothing to do besides sit in this stinkin' tower!

Jeremy: I'm sorry Natalie, but that's just what you'll have to do for the time being.

Natalie: Great...

Just then, the elevator doors opened up again and out stepped Aelita.

Aelita: I'm here Jeremy.

Jeremy: Good. Natalie's in a tower in the Forest Sector. I'll send you in close by it and I'll give you the instructions from there.

Aelita: I'm on my way.

And Aelita quickly descended down to the scanner room and arrived moments later.

Jeremy: Transfer Aelita. Scanner Aelita. Virtualization!

* * *

**Lyoko-Forest Sector**

Aelita dropped down into the Forest Sector a second later and looked to her left and saw the tower right beside her.

Jeremy: Natalie's in there...bored out her mind may I add.

Aelita chuckled a bit and walked in the tower. Natalie heard someone come in the tower and turned around to see Aelita.

Natalie: Hiya Mrs. Belpois! Nice of you to stop by!

Aelita: Well thank you for inviting me to stay.

Jeremy: Sorry to interrupt ladies but Aelita, I need your help to try and locate Natalie's DNA sequence.

Aelita: Right. Sorry Natalie, girl talk will have to wait.

Natalie groaned in disappointment as Aelita walked towards the center of the platform and floated up to the top where the interface was waiting. She quickly set to work tapping on the many of icons and program popups to try and locate the sequence, while Jeremy did the same from the lab. This went on for several hours, and still nothing came up. Natalie was laying on her back on the lower platform staring upwards to the top of the tower.

Natalie: *sigh* Any luck Mrs. Belpois?

Aelita: No...nothing...at least not yet.

Natalie: Mr. Belpois?

Jeremy: I wish I could say I found something...but I got nothing either.

Natalie: *sigh* Oh man.

Finally after about 4 hours of searching, Jeremy finally called it quits.

Jeremy: It's no use Aelita. I can't find anything and I think I've worn out my brain.

Aelita turned off the interface and sighed.

Aelita: I couldn't find anything either Jeremy. So what do we do?

Jeremy: I suggest that you stay here in the tower with Natalie and don't go anywhere else. Tomorrow, I'll work extra hard during my teachings to see if I can find Natalie's missing sequence.

Natalie: So what are we supposed to do all night?

Aelita: There is no nighttime on Lyoko, but I've got a way to pass the time.

Aelita floated back down beside Natalie a moment earlier and she seemed interested with what she had in mind.

Natalie: What would that be?

Aelita: Well I've been here for most of my life trying to survive against XANA, so I can share some stories of my adventures with you as well as a few techniques. You never know, they might come in handy.

Natalie smiled for the first time in hours. So Aelita sat down beside Natalie and began telling her stories of her time on Lyoko before she came back to Earth, starting with Jeremy restarting the supercomputer. Jeremy smiled at this and decided to leave the girls to their talk. He put the earpiece away and walked back towards the elevator and eventually back home to rest up for tomorrow.

* * *

**The Next Day**

**Lunchtime-12:20**

Jeremy worked hard on finding Natalie's DNA all morning and all throughout his classes whenever he had the chance, but in the end, he came up empty and disappointed.

Jeremy: GRR! Come on! How am I gonna be able to find it.

Luckily, his classroom was empty so no one could hear his little rant going on. He pounded his desk in frustration and slumped back in his chair. Then suddenly, he remembered something.

Jeremy: Wait a minute...of course! The same thing happened to Yumi so why not ask her!

Jeremy quickly brought out his phone and dialed Yumi's number. Yumi was at her martial arts academy observing one of her senior students teach the class various moves and techniques. She seemed impressed with the young girl ability to facilitate.

Yumi: She'll do just fine teaching if I'm not available.

Just then, Yumi heard the faint sound of her ringtone coming from her gym bag. She took out her phone and saw that it was Jeremy calling her.

Yumi: Hey Jeremy, what's up?

Jeremy: Trying to get Natalie out of a jam here.

Yumi: Natalie? What for?

Jeremy: She and the rest of the young ones were helping Brandon train in Sector 5 when the Scyphozoa and Matthew came and attacked her.

Yumi: *gasp* Don't tell me she's possessed to!

Jeremy: Luckily she isn't but the Scyphozoa stole a piece of her DNA squence.

Yumi: DNA sequence? Wait...that's just like what happened to me!

Jeremy: Exactly, that's why I called you. Do you remember where we found your DNA? I can't seem to remember?

Yumi thought back to 20 years ago when the Scyphozoa came and stole her DNA.

Yumi: I think it was in Sector 5 somewhere...

Jeremy: Sector 5...THAT'S IT! Yumi you're a genius!

Yumi: Heh that's the first time I've been called that by you. Glad I could help. See ya around.

Yumi hung up the call and went back to watching her young students teach. Jeremy meanwhile, feverishly tapped away at the keyboard on his laptop and began running a scan through the entirety of Sector 5. Back on Lyoko, Aelita was sitting in the center of the platform meditating like the good ol' days, while Natalie was sitting on the edge of the platform staring down into the dark abyss below.

Natalie: Mrs. Belpois, since this isn't a Way Tower, what would happen if someone were to fall on the platform?

Aelita: I'm not really sure to be honest, but if I had to guess that person will probably be devirtualized for good.

Chills ran down Natalie's spine and she wisely scooted away from the edge and to a safer distance. However, outside the tower, danger was lurking over the horizon in the shape of 2 Megatanks. Natalie was unaware of this, but Aelita who was still meditating, felt the Megatank's vibrations. They came to a stop in front of the tower and opened themselves up charging their lasers. Aelita quickly jumped to her feet startling Natalie.

Natalie: Mrs. Belpois what's...

Aelita: BRACE YOURSELF!

At that point, the Megatanks fired their lasers at the tower, causing it to rock back and forth. The force of the blast knocked the girls both off their feet.

Natalie: What was that?!

Aelita: Megatanks.

Natalie drew out her twin katanas.

Natalie: I'm ready!

Aelita: Oh no you don't. We can't risk you going out there and fighting. You might lose your lifepoints and if that happens...

Natalie: Ah man...when am I gonna get some action here.

Natalie sat back down on the platform pouting as the Megatanks fired again.

Aelita: I'll be back soon. Stay here!

And Aelita sprinted out of the tower, leaving Natalie by herself again.

Natalie: That's all I CAN do.

Outside the tower, Aelita was up in the air with her wings dodging the Megatanks giant lasers. She was doing well not to get hit as the rolling monsters kept firing. Finally Aelita attacked back as she summoned 2 Energy Fields in both of her hands and fired them both at the Megatanks. The orbs hit the XANA eyes and both of the monsters were destroyed with relative ease. Aelita smirked as she floated back down to the ground.

Aelita: Is that all you could do XANA? Heh, way too easy.

But Aelita was about to be in for a surprise. As she turned back towards the tower...

?: I wouldn't be so sure Mrs. Belpois!

Aelita stopped dead in her tracks as she a familiar voice followed by strange screeching noise. Turning around slowly, she gasped as she saw the Scyphozoa coming towards her and walking in front of it was Matthew.

Aelita: Oh no...not again. Jeremy, help!

XANA Matthew: It's no use Aelita! You're husband isn't here to save you now. You're vulnerability will be my gain. You'll be ever so useful to XANA.

Aelita: Not if I have anything to say about it.

Matthew didn't know it at first, but Aelita used her thoughts to project out a distress signal to Jeremy's laptop. Then, she began to fight back against Matthew and the Scyphozoa. She fired 2 Energy Fields straight at him. Matthew knocked one of them out of the way, but ended up getting hit in the chest by the other, knocking him backwards a bit and costing him 30 lifepoints. Aelita used this chance to run away as she took off in the opposite direction of the possessed warrior. Matthew groaned as he got back to his feet and anger started to set in as he saw Aelita getting away.

XANA Matthew: AFTER HER SCYPHOZOA!

The giant monster did as it was told and chased down after Aelita. Meanwhile at Kadic, Jeremy was still scanning over Sector 5 for Natalie's DNA code. He still had plenty of time as Lunchtime had about another half an hour left. But as he continued with the scan, he received an alert on his laptop. He clicked on the alert and was connected to Aelita.

Jeremy: Aelita, what's wrong?

Aelita: Jeremy at last! It's Matthew, he's found us and now the Scyphozoa is after me again!

Jeremy: Where's Natalie?!

Aelita: Still in the tower. I don't think Matthew knows about it.

Jeremy: Hang in there Aelita. I've got a plan.

Aelita: Make it quick!

The signal disconnected itself after that and Jeremy tuned in to Natalie.

Jeremy: Natalie, can you hear me?

Natalie: Mr. Belpois? Shouldn't you be teaching?

Jeremy: It's lunchtime now, but that's not something we should be worried about. The Scyphozoa is after Aelita and Matthew is with her!

Natalie: *gasp* Oh no, what can I do?

Jeremy: I hate to take the risk, but you're going to have to help her! She traveling South from the tower and she's heading for the edge of the Sector. Get going!

Natalie: I'm on it!

Natalie quickly ran out of the tower and summoned her purple fairy wings. Then she took off in the direction of Aelita. Meanwhile, Aelita had gained a good bit of distance on the Scyphozoa, but then she skidded to a stop as she saw she had reached the edge of the Forest Sector.

Aelita: Oh no dead end!

XANA Matthew: And so it is!

Aelita jumped and turned around to see the Scyphozoa and Matthew coming up towards her. She was cornered this time. Matthew suddenly snapped his fingers and the Scyphozoa closed in and wrapped its tentacles around her.

XANA Matthew: It's over for you Aelita.

Natalie: NOT JUST YET MATTHEW!

Matthew turned around just in time to see Natalie flying in at a tremendous rate. She used her WindSlash power to knock Matthew to the ground and also to break the tentacles on the Scyphozoa, causing it to flee. Matthew quickly got back to his feet, just in time to see the Scyphozoa retreating. This made him mad as he drew out his hammers.

XANA Matthew: YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT NATALIE! I'LL MAKE SURE YOU GET DESTROYED FOR GOOD!

Aelita: You'll have to deal with the both of us though!

Matthew turned around and saw that now he was surrounded. But all he did was just smirk.

XANA Matthew: Heh heh very well. SHOCKWAVE!

He sent out his shockwave power through his hammers, but the girls took to the skies with their wings just in time to miss it. Then Aelita fired one large Energy Field at him while Natalie fired another WindSlash at him and together, the two abilities collided with Matthew, costing him the rest of his lifepoints and devirtualized him in smoke. the girls floated back down a second after.

Aelita: Well that was easy.

Natalie: At least I finally got the upper-hand on him for once.

Just then, Jeremy tuned in through his laptop.

Jeremy: Natalie, did you find her?

Aelita: It's ok Jeremy, Natalie came just in time.

Jeremy: Phew! That's great to hear. And speaking of great news, Natalie I've found your missing DNA sequence!

Natalie: WHAT?! WHERE?!

Jeremy: It's in a chamber in Sector 5. We'll start investigating a little later. Right now, I've got a class to teach. In the meantime, you two just wait a little longer and I'll be at the factory after school.

Natalie: Sounds good to me. I'll finally be getting out of here!

With that, the girls flew their way back towards the tower while Jeremy prepared himself for his after lunch class.

* * *

**A Few Hours Later**

**Abandoned Factory-Computer Room**

Jeremy: Ok ladies, I'm here. You ready to get started?

Natalie: Ready!

Aelita: Ready!

Jeremy: Alright. First get to the edge of the sector and I'll call up the Transporter.

Aelita: Come on Natalie, follow me!

So Aelita led Natalie out of the tower and together, they flew off towards the edge of the sector yet again. They soon arrived moments later.

Natalie: We're here Mr. Belpois!

Jeremy: Sending in the Transporter!

Jeremy entered Code: Scipio and within moments, the Transporter appeared and whisked the girls away to Sector 5 once again. After the wild ride, they landed inside the dome of Sector 5.

Jeremy: Okay, when the wall opens, make your way to the arena. There should be a tunnel of the other side of the room where Natalie's DNA sequence is.

Both: GOT IT!

Soon, the wall opened up and girls sent off on their mission. They reached the arena in no time at all and could see the tunnel that Jeremy was referring to.

Natalie: There it is! Let's go!

So Natalie raced towards the tunnel with Aelita following in behind. But when they were halfway through the room, a wall started to rise up out of the ground and block there way.

Natalie: NO! COME ON!

She pounded the wall in anger. Then suddenly, the girls heard a low groaning noise. Then from out of the ceiling came a group of 6 Creepers. They came slithering down the walls and surrounded the girls.

Aelita: XANA must be using them to guard your DNA since we got rid of Matthew earlier.

Natalie: If getting rid of Matthew was easy, then these Creepers should be a cinch.

Natalie brought out her blades just as the Creepers began firing. She used her blades to block their lasers and Aelita created an Energy Shield to protect herself.

Jeremy: Careful Natalie! Remember, if you lose your lifepoints, it's game over for good.

Natalie: I DIDN'T NEED TO BE REMINDED OF THAT!

The girls kept blocking the Creeper's lasers as best as they could. Turns out, with the amount of shots fired at them, it gave them very little chance to fight back, making the battle tougher than they thought. The blocking of lasers went on for several more minutes, until finally Natalie had enough.

Natalie: THAT'S IT! TAKE THIS!

She summoned all of her strength and leaped at one of the Creepers and sliced through its body destroying it. Then used her swords to bounce back a laser at another Creeper. Then she used her WindSlash to take out 2 more Creepers, and finally jumped in between the last 2 and sliced through their bodies to get rid of the last. Aelita was impressed at what she had just witnessed.

Aelita: Maybe Brandon isn't the only one who gets stronger the more angrier he gets.

Natalie chuckled as the wall began to fall and the tunnel could be seen.

Aelita: Let's go!

The girls resumed their mission and raced through the tunnel. When they emerged on the other side, they saw a small glowing orb at the end of the room.

Jeremy: That's your DNA sequence right there Natalie. Go get it.

And she did. She made her way across the room and up towards the orb with no trouble at all. She placed her hands on the orb and suddenly, it was absorbed in her.

Natalie: Did...did it work?

Jeremy: One way to find out. Materialization Aelita!

At that point, Aelita was devirtualized out of Lyoko and moments later appeared out of the scanner.

Jeremy: Moment of Truth. Materialization Natalie!

Suddenly, Natalie was devirtualized from Lyoko. In the scanner room, one of the scanners whirred into life and a moment later, the scanner opened up and revealed Natalie back on Earth.

Aelita: It worked Jeremy! She's home!

Natalie: Home? YES! HOME SWEET HOME!

Natalie jumped up and down with joy as Jeremy clambered down the ladder. Suddenly, Natalie pounced on Jeremy giving him a big hug, which made Aelita giggle.

Natalie: Thank you so much Mr. Belpois!

Jeremy: You're welcome Natalie. Glad to see you back on Earth.

Natalie: Oh! I better go tell the others!

And with that, she hurried towards the elevator and left Jeremy and Aelita alone.

Jeremy: Boy, it sure has been a weekend of memories. First the blizzard and now the missing DNA.

Aelita: I wonder if these sorta "Throwback" attacks will continue?

Jeremy: Who knows Aelita...who knows.

At Kadic, Natalie had found the gang sitting at one of the courtyard benches. She quickly ran over to her friends and called out.

Natalie: Guys! GUYS!

The gang turned and gasped when they saw Natalie rushing towards them. Alexis and Mariah jumped out of the bench and ran over to her hugging her tightly.

Mariah: We're so glad you're back!

Alexis: How did you get back?

Natalie: Well, let's gather round the bench and I'll tell you.

So the girls walked back over to the bench to join Jonah, Gary, and Brandon. Once there, she began explaining her adventure.

* * *

**Well guys, this might be it. This might be the last chapter of the story before I head off to Boot Camp. I'm sorry it has to come to this, but it's something that I've worked so hard for and now I'm this close to living my dream. I hope you guys at least enjoyed this "Throwback Chapter #2." This was given to me by my good friend pokemonking0924 again and is inspired by Code Lyoko Season 2, Episode 8 "Missing Link." If you did enjoy it, be sure to leave a review and don't forget to follow and favorite. But before I leave, I just wanted to say thank you thank you thank you. Thank you guys so much for the support over the last few months, with me working on this story that you all love so much. And thank you guys for always being there, pushing me forward to continue when I felt down. I've said it once and I'll say it again. YOU GUYS ARE THE ABSOLUTE GREATEST! Again, I really REALLY hoped you all enjoyed this latest chapter, but now it's time for me to sign off. Don't consider this as a good-bye, but more as a "See you later." I shall return everyone! but until then, Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Happy Valentines Day, and HAPPY 1 YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF NEW YOUTH!**

**THANKS SO MUCH EVERYONE AND I'LL SEE YOU ALL LATER!**

**And now as always, FakeACU83 OUT!**


	58. Enemy Territory Part 1: New Upgrades

**Check it out people! Guess who's back. That's right...IT'S ME! FakeACU83 has returned better than ever before. A lot has changed within the past 3 months and I know you guys know why. But now I'm back and what better way to celebrate my return than with a brand new chapter. So here it is, the newest chapter of the return of New Youth. ENJOY!**

* * *

_**Chapter 58: Enemy Territory Part 1: New Upgrades**_

**Wednesday-May 27th**

**Kadic Academy-Computer Science Classroom**

A couple of days had past since Natalie's encounter with the Scyphozoa, which ending up resulting in her getting robbed of her DNA sequence, preventing her from returning to Earth from Lyoko. But after her and Aelita's bravery when it came down to taking on Matthew and with the brains of Jeremy and Franz Hopper, they ended up restoring Natalie's DNA and bringing her home safe and sound. This was a huge relief for the gang as well as Jeremy. Since the surprise attack, XANA had been quiet. Which for Jeremy, meant he had the chance to finish the gang's new Lyoko Upgrades. The list of upgrades that Franz Hopper gave him a few days ago were simple, but yet efficient upgrades. And with the skills and knowledge he already had, it didn't take Jeremy long to have them nearly completed.

Jeremy: Ok...just a little adjustment to this one here...punch in this command here...final check...hit ENTER...and...DONE!

Jeremy sat back in his desk chair and watched his laptop begin to upload the new upgrades onto the gang's Lyoko forms. As they were being uploaded, Jeremy looked over at the wall clock in his classroom. It was nearly 1:00 PM.

Jeremy: Hmm...lunch is just about over and the upgrades might take a couple of hours to upload. So I'll show them all to them after class.

*RIIIIIIIING*

At that moment, the bell rang meaning the end of lunch period and the resuming of classes. Jeremy set his laptop to the side and prepared for his next class. A couple of hours later, classes ended and all the students were released for the remainder of the day. Outside in the courtyard, Brandon was standing by the gang's usual bench spot by himself. He was waiting for the rest of the gang to show up so that they could all hang out for the evening. He didn't have to wait very long, as a few moments later the whole gang walked out together over towards the bench.

Brandon: Hey guys!

Jonah: Sup Brandon.

Brandon: So what are our plans for the evening.

Gary: Uhh...we haven't really thought of anything we could do...

Brandon: Oh...well that's a bummer. Let's see...what's there we could do...?

?: I might have a solution.

The gang jumped and turned around to see Jeremy walking up towards them will all of his equipment.

Mariah: Again with the scarring Mr. Belpois.

Jeremy: Sorry about that, but I have some news for you all.

The gang perked up, curious at what the "news" was.

Jeremy: As you're all aware, with Matthew being XANA's slave, he has gotten much stronger than we realized. We know that Brandon can seem to handle him, but the rest of you...not so much. So as you know, Franz Hopper suggested that you 5 are due for a little upgrade. Well, I'm happy to say that your upgrades are ready.

Gang: Really?

Jeremy: Yes really. All we need to do is head over to the factory and we'll try them out.

Brandon: Umm...excuse me Mr. Belpois...what about me?

Jeremy: Since you're not getting an upgrade, I'm afraid you're going to have to stay behind on this mission.

Brandon: ...Great...

Brandon plopped down on the bench disappointed.

Jeremy: Sorry Brandon, but that's just how it is sometimes. Don't worry, we won't be long. You all will still have time to hang out once we're done. But until then, the rest of you come with me.

And with that, Jeremy led the gang of 5 into the woods and towards the sewers, leaving Brandon all by his lonesome.

Brandon: ...May as well head to my room and work on some homework.

So begrudgingly getting up off the bench, Brandon walked away towards his room.

* * *

**Lyoko-Desert Sector**

Meanwhile...

Jeremy: Virtualization!

Gary, Mariah, and Jonah dropped down into the Desert Sector right in between Natalie and Alexis. They looked at each others Lyoko forms and noticed that there were indeed a few changes. Their outfits were the same but...

Gary: Looks like we got ourselves a little bit of extra gear.

Jeremy: That's right Gary. This upgrade is mainly focused on your gear and weapons. And since you spoke up first Gary, let's start off with you.

Gary: Sounds good to me.

Jeremy: Good. Now feel your back.

So Gary reached his hand behind him and felt around his back. When he did so, he felt a small cylindrical shaped bag with a strap that wrapped around his torso. He felt around a little more and suddenly felt a small chain. He grabbed a hold of the chain and pulled. What he pulled out of the bag was his new weapon. He was amazed at what it was.

Gary: WOW! A set of nunchucks!

And it was. Gary now had a set of black nunchucks to go along with his boomerangs.

Jeremy: These nunchucks are for you to use if your boomerangs become unavailable and you need something else to defend yourself.

Gary: AWESOME!

Jeremy: Yes it is, but that's not all. Look at your belt.

Gary: Wait...I have a belt now?

Gary looked down and saw that he did indeed now had a bright red belt wrapped around him. And there were small spherical objects hanging off of the belt. Gary grabbed one of the objects and looked closely at it. He was confused.

Gary: What are these things on my belt?

Jeremy: Throw the one you have and see for yourself.

Gary was still confused but did what he was told. He gave a mighty swing and threw the object far off into the distance. What happened next surprised everyone. As soon as the object hit the ground, it instantly exploded. Gary knew what the objects on his belt were now.

Gary: THEY'RE GRENADES!

Jeremy: Precisely Gary. The grenades are for you to use if there are a lot of monsters or if you need to blow up a blockage of some sort.

Gary: Now that is cool.

Jeremy: Let's move on to Natalie next.

Natalie: What's new with me?

Jeremy: Well first off, look at your new belt.

Natalie: New belt for me to?

Natalie looked and sure enough she had a little purple belt with a gold buckle in the center of it. And in the center of the buckle, there was a small hole and button off to the side of it.

Natalie: Hmm...well that's new. I wonder what this button does.

Without even thinking, she pressed the button and as quick as lightning, a cable shot out of the hole in the buckle. At the end of the cable, a grappling hook opened up and hooked itself over a large rock. Natalie was stunned at what just happened, but as soon as she saw the hook latch onto the rock, she instantly pulled her body back to tighten the cable.

Natalie: Wow...a grappling hook.

Jeremy: The grappling is used for you to latch onto objects in case you're falling out of the sky after getting shot by a laser while you're flying.

Natalie: That's so cool...but how do I release it?

Jeremy: Press the button again and the hook will release itself and reel itself back in.

Natalie: Hmm...let's try it.

So Natalie pressed the button again, and just as Jeremy said, the grappling hook released its grip on the rock and quickly reeled itself back into Natalie's belt.

Natalie: Well now I know it works.

Jeremy: There's also another thing. And it's similar to Matthew's ElectroSlash.

Natalie grinned slyly.

Natalie: Let's hear it.

Jeremy: All you need to do is focus your energy on you katanas.

Natalie: Ok here goes.

So Natalie took out her twin katanas, closed her eyes, and focused her energy onto them. Suddenly, she felt her 2 handles transform into 1 as her blades merged into 1 large katana. Natalie opened her eyes and saw her now single katana.

Natalie: Now what?

Jeremy: Focus your energy on it again, just as Matthew did.

So Natalie closed her eyes again and within moments, her katana began to glow light purple. She opened her eyes a moment later to see her now glowing blade.

Natalie: Now let me take a guess on how to use it. Just swing my sword and something will happen?

Jeremy: That's right. Go for it.

Natalie: Here goes.

So Natalie summoned all of her strength and swung her weapon as hard as she could. As she did, a large white blast of wind shot out of the katana much bigger and more powerful than her original WindSlash ability.

Natalie: Woah...now that is one powerful WindSlash.

Jeremy: More like the Zephyr Strike.

Natalie: Zephyr Strike?

Jeremy: That's the name of it.

Natalie: Cool.

Jeremy: Up next, we have Mariah.

Mariah: I'm ready to see what's new.

Jeremy: What's new with your form is that you have yourself a new backpack.

Mariah took a glance over her shoulder and saw that she did indeed have a white backpack on her back. She also saw that on the left shoulder strap was a small button.

Mariah: I'm guessing I just need to push this button?

Jeremy: Yep. Go for it.

So Mariah pressed the button and suddenly from out of the backpack came 4 large mechanical legs. The legs lifted her off of the ground making her shriek slightly.

Mariah: WOAH! WHAT'S HAPPENING?

Jeremy: That's your new gear upgrade. Those legs are controlled with your thoughts, just like your Control Beam. And they're used to attack monsters at close range if your cannons aren't available. And to bring them back in, just press the button again.

Mariah: NICE!

So Mariah pressed the button again and the 4 legs retracted back into her backpack.

Jeremy: Moving on to Jonah next.

Jonah: I'm ready.

Jeremy: You got yourself a couple of new things. The first one is in your Ax's handle.

Jonah instantly grew confused, until he looked at the handle. He noticed that there was a small and flat piece of metal that was wrapped around the handle about halfway down.

Jonah: Hmm? That's new...

He pulled below the metal and suddenly, half of the handle detached itself from the other half and the Ax. But that wasn't all. When Jonah pulled the handle apart, he saw that it had a long chain attached to the end of it.

Jonah: Dude...so I now have a chain extension to my Ax?

Jeremy: Yep. Now you can chain up multiple monsters or use it to extend your weapons reach.

Jonah: AWESOME!...But what's the second one?

Jeremy: I decided to give you a new Shield Ability. To summon it, bring your Ax in front of your face and say "Shield" just as Mr. Della Robbia would.

Jonah: Hmm...let's try it.

So Jonah brought his Ax up to his face as Jeremy said.

Jonah: SHIELD!

And in an instant, a dark orange energy shield formed in front of his Ax blocking his whole body.

Jonah: This will definitely come in handy.

Jeremy: It sure will. Now finally, we move onto Alexis.

Alexis: Can't wait to see what I got.

Jeremy: You'll love this new ability. To go along with you Invisibility and you daggers, I've given you the ability to multiple yourself. Which means, you can make up to 5 copies of yourself.

Alexis: No way...THAT'S SO COOL! I can be like the ultimate ninja. How does it work?

Jeremy: All you have to do is say "Multiply" and 5 more Alexis' will appear.

Alexis: Nice! MULTIPLY!

And just like that, 5 more Alexis copies appear out of her, making a total of 6 Alexis' surrounding the gang.

Gary: ...I can't remember which one's the real Alexis.

Jeremy: Yeah, you won't know who the real one is until the real Alexis calls the command Retract. And then all of the copies will disappear.

Alexis: RETRACT!

And just as quickly as they appeared, the 5 Alexis copies disappeared into thin air.

Alexis: I like what I've got.

Gang: So do we!

Jeremy: I'm glad to hear it. Now let's hope we won't have to use those abilities too often against XANA.

The gang could only agree as Jeremy brought them all back to Earth.

* * *

**Well guys, what do you think? Not too bad of a chapter after being away fro 3 months. I hoped you liked the new abilities I put it for the gang, which were given to me by my good friend and long time supporter pokemonking0924.**

**I hope to get some more chapters out before I have to return to training. Don't expect to come out very fast, but I'm certainly going to try my best to get at least 1 more chapter in. But until then, thank you guys so much for reading this latest chapter. I certainly hoped you guys enjoyed the glorious return of New Youth. If you did, be sure to leave a review and also be sure to follow and favorite.**

**More to come soon! (hopefully) But until then, as always, (and for the first time in 3 months) FakeACU83 OUT!**


	59. Enemy Territory Part 2: Crack the Code

_Previously on Code Lyoko: New Youth_

_Jeremy: As you're all aware, with Matthew being XANA's slave, he has gotten much stronger than we realized. We know that Brandon can seem to handle him, but the rest of you...not so much. So as you know, Franz Hopper suggested that you 5 are due for a little upgrade. Well, I'm happy to say that your upgrades are ready._

_Gang: Really?_

_Jeremy: Yes really. All we need to do is head over to the factory and we'll try them out._

_00000000_

_Gary: Looks like we got ourselves a little bit of extra gear._

_Jeremy: That's right_ Gary._ This upgrade is mainly focused on your gear and weapons._

_00000000_

_Alexis: I like what I've got._

_Gang: So do we!_

_Jeremy: I'm glad to hear it. Now let's hope we won't have to use those abilities too often against XANA._

* * *

**_Chapter 59: Enemy Territory Part 2: Crack the Code_**

**Saturday-May 30th**

**9:30 AM**

A few days had past since the gang received their new Lyoko upgrades and soon enough, it was the weekend. But more importantly, it was the last weekend of the school year. The student's final exams were next week and that Friday would the last day of school before summer vacation. Everyone was now studying like there was no tomorrow. All of them wanted to pass their finals so they can move on to the next grade and not get held back. Even the gang had to put the whole XANA and Matthew situation aside just to focus on their studies. But all the same, they still worried about their friend and still wondered how they were going to bring him back. They were also wondering how close Franz Hopper was to cracking XANA's security code. Well...over at the Belpois Residence, Jeremy and Aelita were busily doing chores around the house with little Maya lending a hand, while Franz Hopper was in Jeremy's Study Hall working on XANA's security code. He had been working on it ever since he returned to Earth and had made a lot more progress than Jeremy did. In fact, he made so much progress on it, that after a few more clicks and commands...

Hopper: *chuckling* I finally got it.

On the computer screen was a string of numbers that indicated XANA's code. All of the numbers were green, which meant...

Hopper: Aelita! Jeremy! Come in here! I have something to show you!

Confused, the couple stopped what they were doing and walked into the Study Hall where Hopper was waiting for them.

Aelita: What is it Daddy?

Hopper: Come and look for yourself my dear.

Jeremy and Aelita leaned in and gazed upon the computer screen with the green numbers. They were confused at first at what exactly they were looking at.

Jeremy: Umm...what are those numbers?

Hopper: Jeremy, I'm surprised at you. What have you and your friends tried to break into for the last few months?

The moment Hopper said that, Jeremy and Aelita's eyes went wide.

Aelita: You're...you're not saying...

Jeremy: That right there is...

Hopper: The security code to XANA's world.

* * *

**Kadic Academy-Natalie's Room**

Over at Kadic, Natalie was lying on her bed with her eyes fixed on several open notebooks, busily scanning over every single note she wrote down throughout the year in preparation for next week's finals. Though Natalie's yearlong grades were pretty high, she was still quite nervous about failing her exams and having to start 9th grade all over again.

Natalie: Oh man...gotta keep studying...don't want to fail.

Natalie kept skimming through her notes when suddenly her phone rang startling the young warrior a bit. She looked at the number and to her surprise, saw that it was Jeremy's number. Curious as to why he was calling, Natalie answered.

Natalie: Hello?

Jeremy: Natalie, listen to me. This is very important.

Natalie: Is it just as important as studying for my finals Mr. Belpois?

Jeremy: Even more important. It's about XANA's world.

Natalie instantly grew intrigued.

Natalie: What about XANA's world?

Jeremy: You might not believe it, but Franz Hopper just found the security code to unlock XANA's world!

Natalie's eyes grew wide.

Natalie: WHAT?! Wait...so you're saying that...it's time?

Jeremy: It is time Natalie. Time to infiltrate XANA's world. I need you to go grab your friends, including Brandon. He will need to know about XANA's world if he is going to help us defeat him. Once you find everyone, head for the factory. Franz Hopper will be there ready to send you to Lyoko. In the meantime, Aelita and I are going to tell our friends about it and they will join you on the mission.

Natalie: I'm on it Mr. Belpois!

Jeremy: Good. See you there.

Natalie hung her phone and closed all of her notebooks before dashing out of her room to find the others. She found Mariah and Alexis in their room studying just a few doors down from her's. Then, she found Gary and Jonah at the soccer field kicking the ball all over the place after they decided to take a break from studying. Then they set off to find Brandon. In the courtyard, Brandon was sitting by himself on one of the benches looking over some of the most recent notes that he took during classes. Ever since he told the young warriors about his past and they finally accepted him for who he was and let him join their fight, Brandon had been more involved in his classes and his studies. Taking very good notes and actually putting effort into his classwork and tests. While he was looking over his notes, he had no idea that someone was looking for him. And that someone was Stephanie, who had just walked out into the courtyard for some fresh air after she had been studying for a few hours. She looked around the courtyard and a smile appeared on her face as she spotted Brandon. Just the person she was looking for. She quickly walked over towards him waving.

Stephanie: HEY BRANDON! OVER HERE!

Brandon perked up at the sound of his name being called and looked to see Stephanie walking towards him. Stephanie didn't notice, but Brandon had begun blushing a deep shade of red when he saw her.

Stephanie: Hey Brandon what's up?

Brandon: Oh uh...hey Steph. Just uh...you know...studying a little bit for next week. Although my brain kinda hurts from it now.

Stephanie: *giggles* Yeah, that's kinda why I took a break from studying. Anyway, I uh...wanted to tell you something.

At this point, Stephanie began blushing like mad and Brandon's face just went even redder.

Brandon: You...you do? What is it?

Stephanie: Well...you see...ever since we went to Prom together, I've had these feelings.

Brandon: _(to himself) I've had feelings to...I just hope mine are the same as hers._

Stephanie: Brandon...I...I lo...

Gary: YO BRANDON!

Brandon &amp; Stephanie: _(to themselves) OH COME ON!_

Groaning to himself, Brandon turned around and saw the gang running up towards him. Brandon was confused.

Brandon: What's up guys?

Natalie spoke next in a soft tone so that Stephanie wouldn't hear.

Natalie: Mr. Hopper just cracked XANA's code and it's time for us to go to his world and you're coming with us.

Brandon's eyes went wide. Although he was disappointed that his new friends had interrupted he and Stephanie's conversation, he was excited about being able to go to XANA's world. He turned around to face Stephanie.

Brandon: Sorry Stephanie, but I have to go. We'll talk later on tonight, I promise!

Stephanie watched as Brandon and the gang ran off and disappeared into the distance. Sighing sadly to herself, she walked away from the bench and back to her room.

* * *

**Abandoned Factory Entrance**

A few minutes later, the gang arrived at the factory. They swung down the ropes and quickly entered the old elevator before descending down to the lab.

Jonah: So Brandon, what were you and Stephanie talking about hmm?

Jonah gave Brandon a sly smirk which made Brandon begin to blush again when he brought up the topic.

Brandon: Uhh...uhhhhh...nothing much really. Stephanie just umm...needed a few uhh...studying tips! Yeah that's it!

Gary: Heh, you're blushing mate.

Jonah: I think someone's in love.

Brandon smacked the back of Jonah's head, but Jonah and Gary couldn't help but laugh as Brandon blushed a deeper shade of red.

Brandon: I AM NOT IN LOVE WITH STEPHANIE! SO LEAVE IT AT THAT!

Gary &amp; Jonah: Whatever you say.

Mariah: Will you boys knock it off? We have an important mission here!

Gary and Jonah stopped laughing after that as the elevator came to a stop and revealed the computer lab. The gang noticed that just as Jeremy had said, Franz Hopper was already there prepping their transfers.

Hopper: Ah excellent. You're all hear.

Alexis: We're ready to begin the mission.

Hopper: Very well. Head for the scanners and I'll send you all to Sector 5. From there you'll have to wait until your elders arrive.

Without being told twice, the gang of 6 made their way down into the scanner room and a few moments later, all 6 of them were virtualized in Sector 5 with their new upgrades...apart from Brandon.

Brandon: Now all we got to do is wait for the others.

Luckily, the gang didn't have to wait very long as a few minutes later, the old warriors arrived in the lab. Hopper quickly told them that their younger allies were already in Sector 5 waiting for them. With that said, Jeremy took his spot and stood beside Hopper while the rest of the 5 old warriors headed for the scanner room.

* * *

**Lyoko-Sector 5**

Hopper: VIRTUALIZATION!

Moments later, Aelita, Yumi, and Odd dropped down into Sector 5 beside the rest of the warriors. Now all 11 of them were present and ready to begin.

Hopper: Head to the hanger. The Skid's waiting for you.

Warriors: Right!

So the warriors raced away through Sector 5. Luckily for them, they didn't run into any of the Sector's traps and they all eventually made to the elevator that led to the hanger. The elevator ascended upwards and moments later, The Skid 2.0 appeared into view. Brandon gasped at the sight of the massive virtual submarine.

Brandon: _(to himself) So that is the virtual sub that Mr. Belpois told me about. It's amazing._

Soon, the elevator came to a halt and the old took their places on the 5 teleportation platforms while the young warriors took their spots on the other 6. However, the young warriors saw that only 5 of their 6 spots were filled.

Natalie: Wait...where's Brandon.

They all looked and saw that Brandon was still standing on the elevator unsure of where to go.

Brandon: So...where am I supposed to go. Most of those spots are full and from where I'm standing, I don't see any open ones.

Natalie then turned back around and saw the one open spot left. It was the spot that teleported a warrior to the duel main cockpit with Aelita. Natalie knew that was Matthew's usual spot, but in this case, it would have to do.

Natalie: There's one spot open over here Brandon. It's actually Matthew's usual spot.

Brandon: Oh...well okay then.

So Brandon ran over to the open spot and finally everyone was ready.

Hopper: Would you like to do the honors Jeremy?

Jeremy: Sure thing.

So Hopper got out from the chair and Jeremy took his place.

Jeremy: Here we go guys. ENERGIZE!

At that moment, all 11 warriors disappeared from their spots and appeared in their proper NavSkids and cockpit seats. When Brandon saw that he was in the main cockpit with Aelita, he was amazed. There were so many buttons and switches and mechanisms in the cockpit that he didn't even know where to look.

Brandon: How am I gonna figure out how to work all of this?

Aelita: Don't worry Brandon. Once we're in the Digital Sea, I'll be doing most of the commanding while you work the radar.

Brandon: Sounds good to me.

Aelita: Is everyone ready down there?

Warriors: READY!

Aelita: Ready to go Jeremy.

Jeremy: Struts away!

At that moment, the 4 massive support struts released their grip on the Skid.

Aelita: Away we go. LIFTOFF!

Pulling back on the thrusters, The Skid 2.0 took to the air and made its way out of the hanger and in to the Celestial Dome. Aelita then guided the massive sub towards the open tunnel which Jeremy opened up moments before takeoff. The Skid 2.0 raced through the tunnel and out into the Desert Sector high above the Digital Sea.

Aelita: Prepare to dive in 3...2...

Brandon: *gulp* Here we go...

Aelita: 1...DIVE!

The Skid dropped straight down like a rock and plunged into the Digital Sea.

* * *

**AT LONG LAST! I AM BACK AGAIN! I know you guys have probably been waiting for so long for this story to come back to life, but as you all know, I have a career now and I'm still technically in training. But lucky for you guys, I do get time to myself. Like right now. So I decided that you all have waited long enough and so let's give a big warm "Welcome Back" to myself and New Youth. I know it's kind of a short chapter, but those will come and go. But fear not, because with the free time that I'm able to get right now, you'll be seeing more chapters fairly soon. But for now, thank you guys so much for reading and enjoying this chapter. I really hope you all liked it. If you did, be sure to leave a review, follow and favorite, and why not share this with your friends. They might like it too.**

**More to come soon. I promise. Until then, as always, FakeACU83 OUT!**


	60. Enemy Territory Part 3: Breaking In

_Previously on Code Lyoko: New Youth_

_Hopper: Aelita! Jeremy! Come in here! I have something to show you!_

_Confused, the couple stopped what they were doing and walked into the Study Hall where Hopper was waiting for them._

_Aelita: What is it Daddy?_

_Hopper: Come and look for yourself my dear._

_Jeremy: Umm...what are those numbers?_

_Hopper: The security code to XANA's world._

_00000000_

_Jeremy: Natalie, listen to me. This is very important._

_Natalie: Is it just as important as studying for my finals Mr. Belpois?_

_Jeremy: Even more important. It's about XANA's world._

_Natalie: What about XANA's world?_

_Jeremy: You might not believe it, but Franz Hopper just found the security code to unlock XANA's world!_

_00000000_

_Stephanie: Hey Brandon what's up?_

_Brandon: Oh uh...hey Steph. Just uh...you know...studying a little bit for next week. Although my brain kinda hurts from it now._

_Stephanie: *giggles* Yeah, that's kinda why I took a break from studying. Anyway, I uh...wanted to tell you something._

_Brandon: You...you do? What is it?_

_00000000_

_Brandon: How am I gonna figure out how to work all of this?_

_Aelita: Don't worry Brandon. Once we're in the Digital Sea, I'll be doing most of the commanding while you work the radar._

_Brandon: Sounds good to me._

_Aelita: Is everyone ready down there?_

_Warriors: READY!_

_Aelita: Prepare to dive in 3...2..._

_Brandon: *gulp* Here we go..._

_Aelita: 1...DIVE!_

* * *

**_Chapter 60: Enemy Territory Part 3: Breaking In_**

**Lyoko-Digital Sea**

The large metal doors that led to Lyoko slowly opened up and out came The Skid 2.0 with its crew ready for their important mission. Inside the duel cockpit, Brandon was in awe at seeing the Digital Sea for the first time.

Brandon: Wooooooow...so this is the Digital Sea.

Aelita: Yep, this is what we have to travel through to get to XANA's world. Which unfortunately is quite far away from Lyoko.

Hopper: Not necessarily my dear.

Aelita and the rest of the warriors perked up when they heard Franz Hopper's voice.

Hopper: I've actually managed to located a HUB that will lead straight to XANA's world without having you travel all the way there.

Yumi: Well that certainly makes things a lot easier.

Odd: Aww man! I was hoping for a long trip. I was looking forward to a nice nap while Aelita drove us there.

Yumi, Ulrich, &amp; Aelita: ODD!

Odd: What?! I'm just saying.

Jeremy: That's enough everyone. Need I remind you that we're on an important mission?

The warriors stayed quiet after that.

Jeremy: Anyway Aelita, your father just told me the coordinates of that HUB. I'm sending them to you now.

So Jeremy typed in the coordinates and within moments, Aelita received them and she punched them into The Skid's map of the Digital Sea. In no time at all, the HUD was located on the map and Aelita was ready to go.

Aelita: HUB spotted. ROTATION!

The Skid rotated to its horizontal position and the engines began whirring into life.

Aelita: Onwards to XANA's world!

And Aelita pushed the throttle levers forward and The Skid took off through the Digital Sea. However unknown to them, XANA was watching. He grinned evilly as he prepared to stop the warriors for entering his world.

XANA: They'll never gain entrance to my lair. Not after I send in my strongest monsters of the Digital Sea.

And that's just what he did, as he activated 4 virtualization programs for his Digital Sea monsters. It didn't take Aelita very long to navigate the Skid over to the newly discovered HUB that led to XANA's world.

Aelita: There it is. HUB in sight Jeremy!

Jeremy: That's great Aelita. Now all you have to do is go through that HUB and you should be near XANA's world.

Aelita: You don't need to tell me twice.

So Aelita guided the Skid above the HUD and came to a gentle stop.

Aelita: Hyperfluid dive in 3...2...1.

And in an instant, the Skid dove straight into the hyperfluid and seemed to travel at hyper speed through the HUB before popping back out of another HUB moments later. Aelita slammed on the Retro Brakes and the ship instantly came to a stop.

Gary: WOO! That was some ride!

Aelita: That's traveling through a HUB for you Gary. Now let's see here...where are we now.

Aelita gazed at the radar and noticed that it had picked up an object but straight ahead of them. Aelita looked at the coordinates of the object and looked at the coordinates to XANA's world and saw that they matched.

Aelita: Excellent! XANA's world is just in front of us.

Ulrich: Alright!

Odd: Time to see what XANA's world has in store for us.

But before Aelita had begun to move the ship towards it, the blue background of the Digital Sea suddenly turned red. Brandon noticed this and was confused and a little creeped out.

Brandon: Uhh...what happened to the Digital Sea?

At that moment, the Skid's radar sounded an alarm. Aelita looked down at the radar and saw 4 objects closing in on them. She squinted her eyes and peered out the window of the Skid and could faintly see the 4 objects. When they became clearer, Aelita gasped.

Aelita: *gasp* OH NO THEY'RE BACK!

Brandon: What? What's back?!

Aelita: XANA's Whale and Turtlizer monsters!

The warriors gasped at what Aelita just said as did Jeremy, who quickly keyed his mic to Aelita.

Jeremy: Aelita, deploy all the NavSkids and get out of there!

Aelita: What about the others?

Yumi: Don't worry Aelita, we can handle them. Right guys?

Warriors: Right!

Aelita: Alright then...NavSkids away!

Aelita pulled down the 9 levers that kept the NavSkids attached to the main Skid and the 9 NavSkids detached and raced away while she and Brandon turned around and ran away from battle. The 9 warriors formed up in a V-shaped formation with Ulrich leading the charge.

Ulrich: Alright everyone, here's the plan. We got 3 Turtlizers and 1 Whale monster. There's 9 of us fighting, so with 3 groups of 3, we'll take out the Turtlizers then afterwards, all 9 of us take on the Whale.

Warriors: Got it!

Ulrich: Alright then. ATTACK!

The 9 warriors then split off into groups of 3, with Ulrich, Yumi, and Odd in one group, William, Natalie and Gary in another, and Jonah, Alexis, and Mariah in the last group. And together, they all set their sights on a Turtlizer. However, they were about to find out that destroying them was a whole different challenge. It happened when Jonah, Alexis and Mariah had aimed in on their target. Mariah took the first shot by firing 2 torpedoes at the Turtlizer's head, where the XANA eye was located. But at the last possible second, the beast retracted its head into its shell and its shell took the blunt of the torpedoes' blast.

Mariah: WHAT?! But how?

Then, the Turtlizer's head popped back out and it began to retaliate. It's bottom hatch opened up and out came its torpedo launcher. It then fired 3 torpedoes at the them, but luckily, the young warriors were able to dodge the attack just in time. They began to retreat in the opposite way, but the Turtlizer was right on their tails. And if you think that they were having problems, well unfortunately the other groups of 3 found out the same thing. They too were having trouble destroying the Turtlizers due to the fact that it kept retracting its head, thus dodging their attacks. And now, they too were retreating, but the monsters weren't far behind. While all this was going on, Aelita and Brandon had guided the Skid to a safe distance away from battle and were waiting for word from the warriors saying that the coast is clear. But also, XANA was watching from a tower interface. He was watching the warrior's futile attempts at destroying his Turtlizer monsters. He couldn't help but chuckle slyly as he watched.

XANA: This will definitely keep them from entering my world. I guarantee it.

Back in the Digital Sea, the warriors were starting to get a little desperate. The Turtlizers were right on each group's tail and was constantly firing torpedoes out of its mouth and its launcher.

Yumi: Jeremy! We can't shake them! And we can't destroy them either. They keep putting their heads back into their shells, preventing us from hitting it! We need ideas and quick!

Jeremy: Hang in there guys, I'll think of something.

But Jeremy didn't know what to think of. How could they destroy a monster that keeps hiding in its shell?

Jeremy: Wait a minute...THAT'S IT!

Jeremy suddenly had an idea and he quickly keyed the mic.

Jeremy: Guys, I have a plan on how you can destroy those Turtlizers.

Odd: Any ideas will do at this point Einstein! What is it?

Jeremy: You have to destroy their shells. That way, they won't have anything to protect its head.

Jonah: Well I don't see any other option. LET'S DO IT!

The rest of the warriors agreed as they all turned back around and set their sights once again on the Turtlizers.

Mariah: I might have an idea guys. Let's all fire our torpedoes at the same time. That way, it will do triple the damage to the shell.

Alexis: I like it. So let's go.

Jonah: Target in sight girls. You ready?

Alexis: I'm locked on.

Mariah: Me too.

Jonah: As am I. FIRE!

The 3 young warriors fired 2 torpedoes at the same time making a total of 6. Of course, the Turtlizer put its head back in its shell, but it didn't realize that the warriors weren't aiming at its head. Suddenly, the 6 torpedoes collided straight into the monster's shell causing a huge explosion. The 3 young warriors stopped their NavSkids and looked.

Mariah: Did we do it?

Jonah: I don't know. Let's see.

As the explosion cleared, the warriors could see the Turtlizer...but without its shell!

Alexis: HA HA! We got 'em!

Jonah: Now to end him. FIRE!

Only Jonah this time fired his torpedoes at the now exposed Turtlizer. The torpedoes hit square on the XANA Eye on top of its head and in an instant, the 1st of 3 Turtlizers were destroyed.

Jonah: Nice job guys! Now let's hope the others can do the same.

Luckily, Jonah would be proven right. William, Gary, and Natalie had the same idea.

William: All of us will lock on and fire at the shell at the same time. That should do enough damage for the shell to be destroyed.

Gary: Well I'm locked on.

Natalie: So am I.

William: Me too. So...FIRE!

And they did. 6 torpedoes were fired and crashed into the shell of the Turtlizer and just like the first one, it left the beast exposed.

William: There we go. I'll finish him off.

So William fired one last torpedo at the monster and hit dead center with the XANA Eye, causing it to explode.

Gary: SWEET! We got 'em.

Natalie: I wonder how the others are fairing?

The last group was doing quite well actually.

Ulrich: Ready...Aim...FIRE!

Ulrich, Yumi, and Odd fired their torpedoes at the last Turtlizer at the same time and exploded on impact. And as the smoke cleared, the monster was revealed without its shell.

Odd: Boo-yah!

Yumi: Now let's finish him off.

Ulrich: Allow me to do the honors.

Ulrich fired on last torpedo at the monster and in an instant, it was destroyed. XANA who was watching it all unfold, couldn't believe it.

XANA: NO! MY TURTLIZERS! Hmm...no matter. They'll never be able to destroy my Whale.

Jeremy: Nice job everyone. Now for the Whale. It's guarding the entrance to XANA's world.

Ulrich: We're on it Jeremy. LET'S GO!

And the 9 warriors raced away to the entrance. Meanwhile, Aelita and Brandon were still in hiding.

Jeremy: Aelita, just hang out there for a few more minutes. They've destroyed the Turtlizers, now they just need to destroy the Whale.

Aelita: It won't be easy Jeremy. Remember, that Whale has 3 XANA Eyes which are covered by scaly armor. And it can fire 4 torpedoes at once.

Hopper: Have faith my dear. They'll be fine.

Aelita smiled at her father's words, but still felt a little worried.

Aelita: _(to herself) I hope so._

In no time at all, the 9 warriors found each other and were now traveling together towards the Whale guarding XANA's entrance.

William: This is gonna be a tough fight.

Ulrich: I agree with William. We've never fought one of these before, but if we're going to get into XANA's world, we're going to have to do our best to destroy it.

Gary: Well let's get to it cause there it is!

Gary was right. The Whale and XANA's world came into view. As soon as the Whale saw them, it opened its large mouth and fired 4 torpedoes at once. The 9 warriors quickly moved out of the way.

Odd: A feisty one huh? Well let's him!

Odd was the first to charge in with the rest of the warriors following. They each aimed their torpedoes to the scaly armor on its back that protected. Now if there was just 1 or 2 warriors fighting the great beast, it would not be an easy task to destroy the armor. But with all 9 warriors firing multiple shots at it at once, it didn't take long for the armor to be demolished and for the XANA Eyes to be revealed. However, that's when the Whale now started to fight back. It turned around and began firing more and more torpedoes out of its 4 cannons. Most of them nearly hitting a few of the warriors, but luckily for them, they missed getting hit by inches. But now, the warriors were starting to get disorganized with the more shots fired at them. Jeremy saw this and grew worried.

Jeremy: Come on guys. Regroup and strike back.

Yumi: It's not that simple Jeremy!

And it wasn't. The more torpedoes fired from the Whale, the more disorganized the warriors became with the constant dodging of the attacks. Finally...

Natalie: I've had enough! We're not going to get in XANA's world at this rate. Time to make a move.

Alexis: Wait Natalie! What are you doing?

But Natalie didn't answer. Instead, she pulled out of the fray and moved back a safe distance. She then turned around and carefully aimed her cross-hairs at one of the 3 XANA's Eyes. Once she got a lock-on, she fired her torpedoes and they impacted the first Eye dead center. The Whale groaned loudly at the hit and the warriors were surprised at what just happened. Then, Natalie fired once again and hit the second Eye of XANA. The Whale turned around and saw Natalie off in the distance. It then left its post and swam after her. But Natalie wasn't scared, in fact she was grinning.

Natalie: Come and get me.

The Whale was closing in fast on the young warrior and her friends feared the worst. But then, Gary noticed something. With the Whale moving in on Natalie, it left its back exposed to the other 8 warriors, leaving the last Eye of XANA wide open.

Gary: *gasp* She's luring the Whale to her so we can attack.

The warriors noticed what Gary was talking about and Yumi stepped in to deliver the final shot. XANA was watching everything.

XANA: WHAT?! NOOOO! THEY CAN'T!

Yumi: Bye-bye Whale!

Yumi fired the last torpedo and just before the Whale could strike Natalie, the torpedo collided straight into the last Eye of XANA and in a huge explosion, the beast was destroy.

Natalie: OH YEAH!

Jeremy: Great job guys! You cleared the path for Aelita. I'll tell her now.

And Jeremy tuned into Aelita's radio.

Jeremy: Aelita, Brandon, good news. The monsters are destroyed and the passage is clear.

Brandon: AWESOME!

Aelita: Thank goodness.

Jeremy: The others are waiting at the entrance to XANA's world. Head there now.

Aelita: Roger that.

So Aelita guided the Skid out of hiding and in no time, arrived at the entrance.

Aelita: NavSkids in.

The 9 warriors piloted their NavSkids back to the main ship and soon, they were all attached back. Aelita then guided the ship to the gate to XANA's world and rotated the ship back to its vertical position.

Aelita: Activating Digital Key.

Soon a bright white beam appeared out of the Skid and attached itself to the gate. In the factory, a security combination appeared on screen. Jeremy knew what it was.

Jeremy: Ok Franz. Time to enter the code to XANA's world.

Hopper: Right. Here we go.

Hopper sat back in the chair and began typing in the code that he uncovered just hours prior. The warriors waited anxiously inside the Skid. All of them were hoping that the code would work.

Aelita: Come on Daddy.

While XANA on the other hand could do nothing but watch helplessly as the warriors punched in the code.

XANA: NO! THIS CAN'T BE!

Hopper: Almost...got it...THERE!

The numbers on screen turned green, which meant...

Ulrich: LOOK! IT'S OPENING!

...XANA's world was finally unlocked.

XANA: THEY FOUND THE CODE?!

Jeremy: We did everyone. We've finally cracked XANA's security code. Now to infiltrate Enemy Territory.

Aelita: Right. In we go!

Natalie: _(to herself) Hang in there Matt. We're coming._

Aelita slowly guided the Skid through the access point as the gate closed behind them. Then, the Skid popped out of an orange-red colored Digital Sea. Aelita moved the Skid upwards towards the terrain. But when she and the rest of the warriors got a good look at what XANA's world was, they could not believe it.

Young Warriors: Wooooooooow...

Old Warriors: Unbelievable...

XANA's world consisted of many tall mountains with what looked like lava coming out of them, several craters in the ground, and the Digital Sea looked almost like lava as well. The warriors finally put two and two together at what XANA's world was.

Aelita: ...It's a Volcano Replica...

* * *

**And there you have it. Now we know what XANA's world actually is. The Volcano Replica IS NOT my idea for a sector. It comes from the "Code Lyoko: Quest for Infinity" video game. I just thought that the Volcano Replica would be perfect for XANA's world. What do you guys think? Do you like the Volcano Replica or should it be something else. If so, then what do you think it should be? Be sure to tell me in a PM or a review, and please be sure to tell what you thought of this new chapter.**

**Stayed tuned for the final part of the "Enemy Territory" Series. But until then, thank you guys so much for reading and enjoying this chapter.**

**See you all soon. And as always, FakeACU83 OUT!**


	61. Enemy Territory Part 4: Exploration

_Previously on Code Lyoko: New Youth_

_Brandon: Wooooooow...so this is the Digital Sea._

_Aelita: Yep, this is what we have to travel through to get to XANA's world. Which unfortunately is quite far away from Lyoko._

_Hopper: Not necessarily my dear. I've actually managed to located a HUB that will lead straight to XANA's world without having you travel all the way there._

_Yumi: Well that certainly makes things a lot easier._

_00000000_

_Aelita: There it is. HUB in sight Jeremy!_

_Jeremy: That's great Aelita. Now all you have to do is go through that HUB and you should be near XANA's world._

_Aelita: You don't need to tell me twice. Hyperfluid dive in 3...2...1._

_00000000_

_Brandon: Uhh...what happened to the Digital Sea?_

_Aelita: *gasp* OH NO THEY'RE BACK!_

_Brandon: What? What's back?!_

_Aelita: XANA's Whale and Turtlizer monsters!_

_00000000_

_Jeremy: Guys, I have a plan on how you can destroy those Turtlizers._

_Odd: Any ideas will do at this point Einstein! What is it?_

_Jeremy: You have to destroy their shells. That way, they won't have anything to protect its head._

_Jonah: Well I don't see any other option. LET'S DO IT!_

_00000000_

_XANA: NO! MY TURTLIZERS! Hmm...no matter. They'll never be able to destroy my Whale._

_Jeremy: Nice job everyone. Now for the Whale. It's guarding the entrance to XANA's world._

_Ulrich: We're on it Jeremy. LET'S GO!_

_00000000_

_Jeremy: Aelita, Brandon, good news. The monsters are destroyed and the passage is clear._

_Brandon: AWESOME!_

_Aelita: Thank goodness._

_Jeremy: The others are waiting at the entrance to XANA's world. Head there now._

_Aelita: Roger that._

_00000000_

_Jeremy: We did it everyone. We've finally cracked XANA's security code. Now to infiltrate Enemy Territory._

_Aelita: Right. In we go!_

_Natalie: (to herself) Hang in there Matt. We're coming._

_00000000_

_Young Warriors: Wooooooooow..._

_Old Warriors: Unbelievable..._

_Aelita: ...It's a Volcano Replica..._

* * *

**_Chapter 61: Enemy Territory Part 4: Exploration_**

**Volcano Replica (XANA's World)**

The warriors gazed at the brand new world in awe as The Skid 2.0 hovered above the lava-like Digital Sea. The stared at the many virtual lava spewing volcanoes and the abundance of craters in the ground.

Yumi: ...A brand new world...with a whole new set of challenges.

Ulrich: This might just be the hardest world for us to fight in.

Jeremy: You might be right Ulrich, but we won't know until we start exploring.

Aelita: Well let's not waste time here. Is there a tower nearby so I can dock the Skid?

Jeremy quickly began scanning the area for a tower and soon enough, he found one.

Jeremy: Lucky for you, there is one nearby. It's Northwest from your position.

Aelita: Got it. Let's go.

So Aelita slowly began to move the ship over to land and towards the tower. But then suddenly, the whole Skid began to shake violently and began plummeting down to the ground. The warriors were surprised, scared, and confused at what was happening.

Natalie: What's going on?!

Aelita: We're being pulled to the ground by some powerful force. I've lost all control! I can't steer the ship out!

The ground was getting closer and closer and there was nothing Aelita could do. Just before the ship hit the ground...

Aelita: BRACE YOURSELVES! THIS IS GONNA GET ROUGH!

The warriors held tightly onto something and shut their eyes tight as the Skid 2.0 crashed to the ground hard. The warriors inside held on as tight as they could, but were still getting thrown around like rag dolls. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the ship skidded to a stopped against a large rock wall. The warriors opened their eyes slowly and gathered themselves back up.

Aelita: *groan* Is everyone alright?

Warriors: Yeah...

Jeremy: Aelita, do you read me?

Aelita: Yes Jeremy, I can hear you.

Jeremy: Oh thank goodness you're all alright. What happened there?

Aelita: I'm not really sure, but the Skid was being dragged down by some powerful force. I don't where it came from, but it caused us to crash land.

Jeremy: Can you still energize yourselves out of the ship.

Aelita: I'm not sure. I'll give it a try.

So Aelita punched in the command to energize herself and the warriors out of the ship. At first nothing happened, but after about 10 seconds all 11 warriors disappeared from the ship and were now standing on the very ground of XANA's world.

Aelita: Good news Jeremy, we're out of the Skid.

Jeremy: That's great to hear.

Mariah: Now I do have a question...who or what pulled us down here in the first place?

Odd: Yeah! I wanna know to! So I can give him a piece of my mind!

The old warriors all rolled their eyes as Odd starting boasting again.

Brandon: We'll figure all that out when we get the chance. For now, we better start exploring.

Jonah: I'm with Brandon on this one.

Alexis &amp; Mariah: Us to.

Aelita: Well then let's go.

So with Aelita leading the group, the warriors began their exploration of Enemy Territory. However, further away in the Replica, XANA was watching them, and he was not happy.

XANA: They've already outstayed their welcome and have seen too much. I must get rid of them...or should I say...HE should get rid of them with some help of course.

XANA chuckled to himself as he continued watching the warriors. The warriors had been exploring the new world for a while now, but they haven't seen much of it other than the volcanoes and craters. That is, until they arrive at a dead end, with a giant rock wall in front of them.

Natalie: Oh great. A dead end.

But Natalie was wrong, as she and the rest of the warriors were about to find out.

Jeremy: Actually, that's not true young Natalie. There is something beyond that wall, but for some reason, I can't seem to tell what it is. The scan isn't picking it up.

Gary: Hmm...I have an idea Mr. Belpois. I've got my new grenades with me. Maybe I can blow this rock face up sky high.

Jeremy: Great idea there Gary. Let's try it.

Ulrich: Wait...since when did you have grenades?

Mariah: Mr. Belpois gave us all new upgrades. Gary's just happens to be nunchucks and grenades.

Jonah: And trust me when I say this, these new upgrades might come in handy.

Odd: NO WAY! Aww man...I want some nunchucks.

Old Warriors: ODD!

Odd: What? I'm just saying.

Gary: Moving right along...

So Gary pulled out 3 grenades from his belt and prepared to throw them.

Gary: Stand back everyone.

The warriors wisely did what he said as Gary pulled the pins and threw the 3 grenades at the same time. Gary retreated to a safe distance as the bombs bounced off the wall, hit the ground, and exploded with an almighty bang.

Gary: WOO HOO! That's what I'm talking about! Read 'em and weep guys. The rock wall is no more!

Jonah: Uh...I wouldn't be so sure about that man.

Gary: Eh?

Gary looked over at the wall and as the dust settled, he was that his new grenades didn't leave a dent.

Gary: Flippin' heck, that wall's strong.

Jeremy: Good effort Gary, but looks like we're gonna need another plan.

Aelita: Any ideas Jeremy?

Jeremy: Actually yes. There is a top to that wall. All you have to do is climb it.

William: And just how do you expect us to do that Einstein?!

Natalie and Mariah looked at each other and grinned.

Natalie &amp; Mariah: WE CAN DO IT!

The old warriors all stared at the girls, while the new warriors just grinned. They knew what they were talking about.

Mariah: I happen to have a new backpack that deploys 4 mechanical legs at the push of a button.

Natalie: And I have a new belt that deploys a grappling hook.

Ulrich: ...Say what?

Mariah: Let me show you Coach.

So Mariah pushed the button on her pack and out came the 4 mechanical legs she mentioned and lifted her off the ground. The old warriors gasped.

Yumi: Impressive.

Jeremy: Now then, you two better start climbing and report back on what you see.

Mariah: Right! Ready when you are Nat!

Natalie: Then let's start climbing.

So Natalie pushed the button on her belt and the grappling hook shot out and up into the air and grabbed a hold of a decent sized rock at the top of the wall. Natalie yanked on the wire to make sure it was secured and gave a nod to Mariah. Then the two warriors began scaling the wall. The wall was indeed very tall, but thanks to their new upgrades, they were able to make it to the top in no time at all. However, what they saw beyond the wall shocked them both.

Mariah: Oh my gosh...

Natalie: Look at all of this!

Aelita: What...what is it?

The two warriors heard Aelita yell from below.

Mariah: It's a giant crater!

Gary: A giant crater?

Jonah: What's so bad about that.

Natalie: It's not just any crater! It's filled with towers!

The warriors gasped at what Natalie just told them. A couple of seconds later, they came back down.

Ulrich: You're not trying to pull our legs are you?

Natalie: No Coach I'm not. I know what I saw.

?: And she's right!

The warriors all froze. They recognized that from a mile away. They all slowly turned around and their gave angry looks as they saw Matthew standing in front of them, grinning slyly. They all drew their weapons and prepared to attack, but the XANAfied warrior was unfazed.

Natalie: What are you doing here?

XANA Matthew: Heh! Here to stop you of course. You all have outstayed your welcome and you all should have been destroyed when I brought your ship down.

The warriors gasped at what Matthew said.

Yumi: So you were the one who caused us to crash land?!

XANA Matthew: Yes it was. Unfortunately, it didn't go as I had originally planned. But that doesn't mater now, for now I have you right where I want you.

Gary: What are you talking about?

XANA Matthew: Without your precious submarine, you're all stranded here. And it gives me the perfect opportunity to destroy you!

Brandon: HA! It's 11 on 1 man. You take out all of us by yourself?

But Matthew just grinned.

XANA Matthew: Whoever said I was going to be alone for this battle?

Warriors: Uh oh...

Matthew then snapped his fingers and out from behind other cliff walls came 5 Megatanks and 5 Krabs. Matthew laughed evilly as the monsters began to close in on the warriors.

XANA Matthew: Monsters...ATTACK!

The monsters began moving in on the warriors firing their powerful lasers at them. But the warriors weren't scared. They split off into two groups with the old warriors taking on the Megatanks, while the young warriors fought the Krabs. However, Matthew charged in very fast and ended up tackling Brandon to the ground. Brandon groaned as he got back to his feet with his old rival now staring coldly into his eyes. Matthew then brought out his two hammers ready to fight.

XANA Matthew: This is our fight now. And unlike the previous 2 times, this time I...won't...fail!

Brandon stood his ground and brought out his purple and black scythe ready to take Matt on.

Brandon: We'll just have to see about that.

XANA Matthew: Indeed we shall and it all starts NOW!

Suddenly Matthew lunged forward and swung his hammers straight at Brandon's body, but the new warrior was just able to jump out of the way before getting hit. Brandon used this chance to try and counterattack by slicing his scythe at Matthew, but the skilled warrior jumped backwards to miss the attack.

Brandon: _(to himself) This is gonna be one tough fight._

XANA Matthew:_ (to himself) This ends here and now!_

While the two rivals were going about their battle, the old warriors were busy facing off the 5 Megatanks. But the good thing for them was that there was 5 of them, which meant 1 monster for each of them.

Ulrich: Easy pickings here guys. Let's get 'em! SUPER SPRINT!

Ulrich started things off by sprinting off towards one of the monsters and then started running circles around it kicking up a lot of dust. The dust ended up covering Ulrich from the monster's sight, confusing it and giving Ulrich the opportunity to strike. He suddenly popped out of the dust cloud and jumped up from behind the Megatank and jabbed his 2 sabers straight into the Eye of XANA, destroying it. Odd was soon following after as he ran up on the second Megatank and jumped up into the air at the last second, firing a barrage of laser arrows at it. But the mega monster closed itself up before the arrows could do anything to it, keeping it safe for the moment. However, as soon as Odd dropped back down to the ground, he turned around and jumped back up again just as the Megatank opened itself up again. Odd, seizing his chance, fired one good shot and hit the XANA Eye dead center and skidded to a stop on the ground just as the monster exploded.

William: SUPER SMOKE!

Meanwhile, William was using his own tactics to try and confuse the Megatank. He used his Super Smoke to hide himself in the ground and to move all over the place to confuse the monster. The Megatank fired its laser multiple times to try and hit William, but it didn't work very well, because in a split second, William emerged from the smoke and sliced his giant sword clean through the Eye of XANA, thus destroying it. While for Yumi, she was jumping and dodging laser after laser from the fourth Megatank and because of it, she wasn't able to get a good shot going with her fans to try and destroy it. She then saw a large rock just in front of her and just as the monster fired at her again, Yumi ducked behind the rock and to safety. She was frustrated that she lay down a clean shot, but then she saw a decent sized boulder just to the left of her. It was then she had an idea.

Yumi: Telekinesis.

Focusing her energy on the boulder, Yumi lifted it up off the ground and made float over the Megatank. The monster wasn't paying attention and didn't see Yumi bring a boulder above it until it was too late. Yumi cut off her energy and the boulder fell from the sky and landed straight on the Megatank, crushing it to pieces.

Yumi: Heh, been a while since I used that. Glad it worked out when it counted.

Finally, up in the sky, Aelita was using her wings to her advantage trying to take out the last Megatank with an airstrike. But the metal monster was putting up a fight. It shot multiple lasers at her, but using her wings she flew to the side of the blasts and missed getting hit. Finally Aelita saw her chance when see saw the Megatank charging up its laser for more than a few seconds. This gave her the chance to summon an Energy Field and take one well-aimed shot at the Eye. She fired the small pink orb and within a second, it collided straight into the Eye of XANA, destroying it and the last of the Megatanks. Meanwhile, the young warriors were busy dealing with the Krabs. And just like their elder allies, there was one for each of them, since Brandon had a different fight on his hands.

Jonah: Maybe now's a good time to try out our new stuff.

Jonah started things off by bringing out his chain weapon that was stored inside the handle of his War Ax. He threw the chain at one of the Krabs like a whip and wrapped it around the 4 legs of the monster. The Krab tried to break free, but only fell to the ground with the Eye of XANA now facing Jonah. Grinning to himself, Jonah saw his chance and yanked the chain back so hard, the Krab started coming towards him. And just before it hit him, Jonah swung his Ax, which he had in his other hand, and sliced clean through the Krab and destroyed it easily. Gary was using his boomerangs to try and destroy the second Krab, but wasn't having the best of luck in doing so. Each time he threw them, the Krab would always step to the side and dodge them. This was getting him frustrated as once again, he tossed his two weapons at the monster. But this time, the Krab didn't move aside. Instead, it shot the two boomerangs out of the sky with its laser and destroyed them.

Gary: Well that's not good...

It was then that the Krab started firing at Gary now that his boomerangs were gone. But as he was jumping out of the way of the lasers, it was also then that Gary realized that he had another weapon with him. Grinning to himself, he reached for his back and pulled out his new nunchucks. He then saw the Krab preparing to fire again and used this as his chance to attack. He ran up towards the Krab and jumped up at the last second before slamming the butt of his nunchucks straight into the XANA Eye and destroying Krab #2. Mariah decided to take on the third Krab by acting like a Krab. In other words, using her new mechanical legs to even out the odds. Using her thoughts to control the legs, Mariah was moving from side to side dodging the Krabs lasers and also moving in closer to get a better shot at it. Once she was close enough, she swiped the Krab off its feet and to the ground using one of her legs. Once the monster was on the ground, she used her thoughts to control another leg, making it rise up above the Krab and then dropping straight onto it, jabbing it clean through and destroying it moments later. A few feet away, Alexis was trying out her new power.

Alexis: MULTIPLY!

At that point, 5 more copies of the young warrior appeared and surrounded the Krab. With the multiple copies, it made the Krab confused as to which one was the real Alexis. It kept moving around in circles trying to figure out which one was real. Unfortunately, it took too long as all 6 copies jumped up and fired 1 shot from their laser cannons at the Krab and destroyed it instantly. Afterwards, Alexis brought her copies back in and the real one returned. Finally, Natalie was about to take out the last of the Krabs and she knew just how to do it. She first took to the sky using her fairy wings and using the same tactics Aelita used to destroy the Megatank. Only this time, Natalie had intentions of destroying the monster quicker. Once she was up in the air, she grabbed her two katanas and used her newly found energy to transform them into her 1 large katana. At that point, the Krab began firing, but Natalie used her blade to block the attacks it was sending. Then the Krab starting charging up its laser for an even more powerful shot, giving Natalie the chance to focus her energy onto her blade, making it glow light purple and then...

Natalie: ZEPHYR STRIKE!

She swung her blade and her new Zephyr Strike wind attack flew out and sliced through the Krab's XANA Eye and destroyed it. Natalie floated back down to the ground as her friends and the old warriors gathered around.

William: I guess those new powers of yours did come in handy.

Jonah: Told ya so!

The new warriors laughed a bit...until Yumi noticed something.

Yumi: Uhh...where's Brandon at?

The gang stopped laughing after that and saw that Yumi was right.

Gary: Yeah...where did he get off to?

Brandon: GAH!

They all turned around and saw that Brandon was in trouble. While the warriors were all busy with their battles, young Brandon was getting absolutely trounced by his rival. Matthew had laid several hits to Brandon with his hammers and his most recent hit knocked the new warrior straight into the rock wall bringing him down to his last 10 lifepoints. He tried to get back up to his feet, but he just didn't have enough strength to do so. Just then, Matthew walked up to him and grinned evilly.

XANA Matthew: You put up yourself a good fight Brandon and you'll definitely be of good use to Lord XANA.

Brandon: *groan* Ugh...what are you talking about.

XANA Matthew: Heh heh...this.

Gary: Hang on Brandon, we're coming!

But before they could reach him, Matthew snapped his fingers and suddenly from out of the giant tower filled crater came the very monster that made Matthew what he was now. The warriors gasped as it floated down between themselves and Matthew.

Warriors: THE SCYPHOZOA!

XANA Matthew: You're too late to save him now.

At that point, the Scyphozoa wrapped its tentacles around Brandon and brought him off the ground.

Brandon: Wh...what's happening?

XANA Matthew: Begin the possession!

Matthew snapped his fingers again and the Scyphozoa's tentacles turned red and started the possessing process.

Mariah: Oh no not again!

XANA Matthew: You're all too late to save him now. His strength will be most beneficial for Lord XANA. And with the 3 of us, we shall take over the world and lead Lord XANA to ultimate victory!

But then, Matthew heard a strange groaning noise. He turned around and to his and the warriors amazement, Brandon was actually trying to break free.

XANA Matthew: What?! What is this?!

Then suddenly, Brandon's eyes turned purple and his strength increased tremendously as he broke out of the Scyphozoa's grasp and sliced its tentacles off with his scythe, thus scarring it away. Matthew stood there stunned as Brandon's hidden ability was awaken again. Brandon summoned all of his strength and swung his scythe and hit Matthew's stomach area, costing him half his lifepoints. Brandon swung again, but this time Matthew was quick to react and summoned his red demon wings and took to the sky. He looked back down at the warriors, anger written all over his face.

XANA Matthew: This isn't over yet! Lord XANA will rule this world! Just you wait and see!

And with that, Matthew flew away from the scene and out of sight. A second later, Brandon's anger finally died down and his eyes returned to their normal color. He turned and looked at his friends and saw their worried looks on their faces. He knew right then what happened.

Brandon: My anger ability kicked in didn't it?

Young Warriors: ...Yes...

Brandon: I've gotta find a way to control that...

Jeremy: Well either way Brandon, at least you're safe. Now, I don't know about you guys, but I think you've done enough exploring for one day.

The warriors could only agree.

Jeremy: Alright, just hang tight and I'll materialize you all back.

* * *

**A Few Minutes Later**

**Abandoned Factory-Computer Room**

Jeremy: Okay, so from what I've gathered so far, XANA's world is one world that is going to be tough to navigate.

Ulrich: You can say that again.

Natalie: What about that tower filled crater that me and Mariah saw?

Hopper: I have a feeling that crater contains the very tower that is linked to XANA's core. If it is, then your new mission is to defeat XANA first and then deactivate the core tower and XANA will finally be destroyed.

Jonah: Sounds easy enough.

Aelita: The only problem is that not all of us can get through that wall like me, Natalie, and Mariah can.

Jeremy: Hmm...you have a point there Aelita. I'm gonna have to come up with a solution to that sooner or later. But for now, our main focus is getting the Skid fixed and going back to XANA's world to see what we can find out about his core.

Yumi: How long before it's fixed.

Jeremy: Unfortunately, Matthew did quite a number on it, so it could be while before we go back there. But I'll do the best that I can.

The warriors couldn't do anything else but to let Jeremy and Hopper go about their work. They decided to leave it at that and head back to their homes and back to Kadic. However, unaware of everything, XANA had a new plan in mind.

XANA: Those warriors won't be coming back to my world. For once my superweapon is complete, they won't have a chance to attack me. But since they found my world, I'll have to speed up the process. And I know just how to do it. Heh heh heh.

At that point, XANA activated a program and in the Digital Sea, 5 large glowing orbs of light appeared and spread out far across the Digital Sea. The warriors had no idea the danger that was now brewing.

* * *

** What kind of danger could be coming our hero's way. That's for me to know, and you to find out soon enough. But anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed the final installment of the Enemy Territory Series. I'm sorry that it took a while for me to post this new chapter, but it just goes to show you how busy I am and how busy I'm probably going to be for the rest of my life. But hopefully that this chapter will also show you my commitment to this story and my commitment to you guys. Again, thank you guys for sticking with me this whole time as I continue to go through this new chapter in my life. And again, I hope this chapter gives you guys the assurance that I haven't forgotten about you or this story at all. More to come soon. Not sure how soon, but soon enough. I promise.**

**But anyway, thank you guys so much for reading and enjoying this new chapter. Please be sure to tell me what you thought via review or PM and if you're new to this story, then why not follow and favorite.**

**See you guys in Chapter 62! And as always, FakeACU83 OUT!**


	62. End of School Madness

_**Chapter 62: End of School Madness**_

**Friday-June 5th**

**8:00 AM**

It was the last day of school before the student's Summer Break. Over the week, all of the students were taking their final class exams to determine if they passed their grade and were ready to move on or failed and had to repeat the year. Yesterday, the students finished the last of their final exams and now today was a half-day and the final official day of school and Principle Hamilton had arranged for a special "Year End Celebration" in the gym which would last the whole half a day of school before being converted to the Senior Classes' Graduation area which would be used later that evening. All of the students were happily enjoying themselves dancing to music, eating refreshments, and chatting with friends before parting ways for the summer. The young warriors were also there, having completed and passing all of the exams. Even Brandon had put forth a lot of effort into his finals and to the surprise of some of his teachers, he passed the 9th grade. Now he, and his Lyoko friends, were kicking back and relaxing in the gym after working hard throughout the whole year. But even while they were enjoying themselves and looking forward to their summer break, they still kept Matthew very much in their thoughts. It had been a little more than a month since his possession and that fateful night still played on their minds, especially for Natalie who was the first to run up to him and see the XANA symbol in his eyes. The rest of the gang of course felt the same way, but when they finally broke into XANA's world a week ago, they now felt reassured that they were going to be able to bring him home and take down XANA for good. But there was one question that had been on their minds. If XANA were to attack during the summer break and knowing that the factory was quite a ways away from where each of their houses were, how would they be able to help their elders?

Meanwhile in the Principle's Office, Mr. Hamilton was busily looking over all of the students final class grades. It was a normal thing for him to do at the end of a school year. He was checking to see how many students failed their classes and how many Summer School teachers he would have to call. For the Senior Class, he was happy to see that everyone one of them passed.

Mr. Hamilton: Heh, I would hope so. Otherwise they wouldn't be graduating today.

He continued on down the list and looked at the Junior Class. All was well there, as was the Sophomore Class. Next came the Freshman Class.

* * *

**Lyoko-Mountain Sector**

But while all of this was going on, everyone was unaware of XANA, who just activated another tower, this time in the Mountain Sector. And inside the Computer Lab of the Factory, sparks burst out of the wires as well as XANA's specter. It traveled out of the factory and split itself into 10 specters. The 10 specters then grouped up into 5 groups of 2 and dispersed to different parts of the city. Each of the 5 groups snuck their way into 5 different houses where a husband and wife were there completely unaware of what was about to happen to them.

* * *

**Kadic Academy-Principle's Office**

**9:00 AM**

Back over at Kadic, Mr. Hamilton was relaxing in office after finishing looking over the final scores for the students. He was very pleased to see that all of them had passed and would be moving on to the next grade. Now his job was just made a whole lot easier, because with everyone passing, he wouldn't have to waste time calling upon however many Summer School teachers. Now he could just sit back, relax, and not have to worry about a single thing.

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*

Mr. Hamilton: *startled* Goodness me!...Eh...come in.

Suddenly, the door flew open and marching in came 5 pairs of parents and they didn't look happy at all. In fact, they looked rather furious.

Mr. Hamilton: Uhh...may I help you all?

Mr. Voclain: Yes you can. We're the parents of Natalie Voclain.

Mrs. Miller: We're Gary Miller's parents.

Mrs. Portman: We're Jonah Portman's folks.

Mr. Castello: We're Alexis Castello's parents.

Mr. Bianchi: And we're Mariah Bianchi's parents. And we have some serious issues to discuss.

Mr. Hamilton was surprised as well as confused as to why the gang's parents were all in his office at the same time and seemingly with the same issue.

Mr. Hamilton: And...what might that be?

Mrs. Voclain: The issue is that for some reason my daughter and her friends have FAILED all of their final exams and 9th grade all together.

Mr. Hamilton was shocked at what he just heard and he quick turned his computer back on.

Mr. Hamilton: But that's not possible! I looked over every student's scores and not one of them have failed. Here I'll show you.

But before he could pull up the scores, Mr. Bianchi suddenly smashed the computer to bit with almost superhuman-like strength. Mr. Hamilton was very surprised and didn't notice the small electric bolts emitting from his fist.

Mr. Hamilton: WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?! Don't make have to call security!

The suddenly, all 10 parents fired a small bolt of electricity at him, knocking the principle to the ground unconscious. They then left the office and marched towards the gym. Meanwhile in the gym, the students were still enjoying themselves dancing away to some music from the DJ stand. Aelita would normally run it, but today she was back at the house helping her father analyze XANA's world a bit better. So instead, a replacement DJ was called, but Jeremy and Ulrich were there at the gym to help supervise the event. Everything was going well...until...

_**WHAM!**_

Jeremy &amp; Ulrich: What the...

The doors to the gym flew open and slammed against the wall, and made enough noise for the music to stop and for everyone to stop what they were doing. All of the students turned their attention towards the door and what the gang saw, a part from Brandon, shocked them all.

Gang: MOM?! DAD?!

Jeremy and Ulrich heard the gang's outburst and now were more confused than shocked. The gang's parents saw their kids and marched over towards them anger written all over their faces. The gang backed away, slightly scared.

Mr. Miller: There you all are!

Gary: Dad?! What are you and mom doing here? And who are they?

Mr. Miller: They're the parents of your friends Gary. And we all need to talk.

The gang were now even more confused.

Mariah: About what exactly?

Mrs. Bianchi: About your grades. We just found out from your principle that you all failed your final exams and in turn, failed the 9th grade!

The gang's eyes went at what they just heard.

Gang: SAY WHAT?!

Alexis: But there's no way we could have failed. Otherwise, someone would have told us and we wouldn't be here having fun!

Jonah: How is that even possible?!

Further away from the crowd, Jeremy and Ulrich couldn't help but listen in. Something wasn't quite right. Jeremy was one of the senior staff members of Kadic and sometimes helps grade the final exams. He did so this year, and when he graded the gang's exams, they didn't fail.

Jeremy: This doesn't make sense.

Ulrich: I agree. You graded their exams. Did they fail?

Jeremy: No, they all passed. What is going on?

Suddenly, a familiar alarm was sounding off from Jeremy's laptop. It was at this moment that realization struck the two warriors.

Jeremy &amp; Ulrich: Uh...oh...

Jeremy quickly brought out his laptop and opened it up just in time to see that a tower was activated. Then he heard loud shriek coming from the crowd. It was Natalie, who was trying to break her wrist free from her father's tight grip, as were the rest of the gang. Brandon stood there not really knowing what to think.

Natalie: DAD, LET ME GO!

Mr. Voclain: Not a chance Natalie. You're coming home with us!

Mr. Portman: As are the rest of you!

As the gang struggled to break free from their parents, Jeremy and Ulrich finally put two and two together.

Jeremy &amp; Ulrich: XANA!

They then charged towards the gang's parents and with all their strength, bodyslammed straight into them, knocking them over and freeing the gang. The young warriors, stunned at what just happened, turned to face Jeremy and Ulrich.

Jeremy: It's XANA! He's attacking again!

Ulrich: You guys get to the factory quick! I'll stay here and handle your parents.

Jeremy: Come on! No time to lose! You too Brandon, let's go!

So with Jeremy leading the way, the gang sprinted out of the gym and Ulrich motioned to the other students to get out of the gym and get somewhere safe. As they did so, the gang's parents jumped back to their feet and stared down at Ulrich, who was now in his fighting stance.

Ulrich: 10 XANAfied parents vs. 1 Lyoko Warrior. Heh, I love a nice challenge.

While all of this was happening, Mr. Hamilton had regained consciousness and was investigating why the gang's parents were acting the way they were. He was walking towards the gym, knowing that's probably where they were to confront their kids. As he was nearing the gym, he could hear the rucus of the students and their parents, then he heard Jeremy and Ulrich shouting. Then a moment later, he saw Jeremy rushing out of the gym and out of the school building with the gang in tow, heading towards the park. He then remembered that he saw Jeremy and the gang heading into the park after the Costume Party incident but had lost them once he got to the clearing. This time, however, he was going to make sure he followed them and find out what Jeremy and his students were up to. Keeping his distance, he exited the building and followed the warriors into the park. The warriors made it to the manhole that led to the factory. They uncovered the tunnel and quickly climbed down the ladder. But just as Mariah was about to close the lid behind her, out of the bushes poked Mr. Hamilton's head. He just got a glimpse of the manhole cover being closed.

Mr. Hamilton: Hmm...so they're heading in the sewers eh? But why would they go down there?

He was about to find out as he came out of the bushes and opened up the cover. He climbed down the ladder and when he reached the bottom, he saw Jeremy and the gang speeding away on their scooters, skateboards, or running on foot like Gary and Brandon.

Mr. Hamilton: _(to himself) Hmm...this is getting even more interesting._

Mr. Hamilton kept well back from the warriors and followed them through the sewer tunnel. Soon, the warriors arrived at the end of the tunnel that had the ladder leading to the bridge. As soon as the warriors exited the sewers, Mr. Hamilton came around the corner and saw the ladder.

Mr. Hamilton: They must have climbed up that ladder. But what's up there?

He would soon have his answer. He climbed up the ladder and came out of the sewers and onto the bridge, just in time to see the warriors running inside the factory.

Mr. Hamilton: The old Renault Factory?! What are they going in there for?

As soon as the warriors were completely inside the factory, Mr. Hamilton raced inside and saw the warriors descend down the elevator. The principle was surprised to see that an elevator as old as the factory itself would still be in working order. He climbed down the rope and landed safely on the ground floor. he slowly looked around the abandoned facility and the many unopen wooden crates and variety of tools all askew across the floor. He began thinking to himself.

Mr. Hamilton: _(to himself) Why would Jeremy and those kids come here to this old place? This factory is at least 50 years old. What could be here that they would be running to?_

Suddenly, he heard the sound of footsteps coming from the upper floor. Quickly, Mr. Hamilton dove behind a stack of crates and poked his head out to look at the upper deck. The footsteps grew louder then suddenly, two more people came running into the factory and swung down the ropes towards the elevator. One of them was an older looking gentleman, and the other was one he knew of. A young woman with bright pink hair and pink clothing.

Mr. Hamilton: _(to himself) AELITA BELPOIS?!_

The principle was very surprised to see Jeremy's wife entering the factory, but then he turned his attention to the old gentleman. He looked at his face a little more closely and realized that he seemed very familiar, but he couldn't put his finger on it. He didn't know it at the time, but it was Franz Hopper. His thoughts were interrupted when he heard the elevator kick into action and began its descent again towards the Lab. When the coast was clear, Mr. Hamilton came out of his hiding spot and gazed at the old elevator shaft.

Mr. Hamilton: Why do I feel like I've seen that man before?

* * *

**Abandoned Factory-Computer Lab**

As soon as the elevator doors opened, Aelita and Hopper saw Jeremy already sending the young gang to Lyoko.

Jeremy: VIRTUALIZATION!

As soon as he hit ENTER, he got the feeling that he wasn't alone in the lab. He turned toward the elevator and sighed with relief when he saw Aelita but was surprised to see Franz Hopper with her.

Jeremy: Thank goodness you're here Aelita, and not to sound rude but, why is Franz here?

Hopper: I wanted to make sure that Aelita was safe while on Lyoko. Even though she has quite a few years of experience under her belt, I just couldn't help not knowing that she was alright.

Jeremy: I understand completely. Anyway Aelita, you got here just in time. The youngsters are already in the Mountain Sector waiting for you.

Aelita: Right. I'm on my way right now.

And Aelita went back on the elevator and went down to the scanner room. While Hopper stood behind Jeremy to see how this battle would play out. It wasn't long before Aelita arrived at the Scanner Room.

Aelita: All set Jeremy.

Jeremy: Right. Transfer Aelita. Scanner Aelita. VIRTUALIZATION.

* * *

**Lyoko-Mountain Sector**

In no time at all, Aelita dropped down in front of the gang who were all ready to go.

Aelita: Sorry for the wait everyone.

Natalie:Not a problem ma'am. You're here now, so let's do this.

At that moment, Jeremy summoned the gang's vehicles. As per usual, Gary and Mariah jumped in the OverBuggy, Alexis and Jonah climbed aboard the OverCopter, and Natalie and Brandon hopped in Matt's OverRacer while Aelita summoned her wings and took to the sky.

Jeremy: Activated tower is due South.

Aelita: Got it! Here we go again everyone!

And with Aelita leading the charge, the warriors raced away to find the tower. Meanwhile, back at Kadic, Ulrich was holding his own pretty well against the 10 possessed parents. He laid hits on all of them, but they weren't backing down. They formed a semicircle around Ulrich, who was now panting and sweating like mad. He was putting up a good fight yes, but it was starting to take a toll on him.

Ulrich: _(to himself) Come on Aelita. I can't hold them off for much longer._

And he wouldn't hold after what was about to happen. At that moment, all 10 of the gang's parents charged in at once and punched Ulrich right in the stomach. They didn't come in very fast, but with all 10 of them attacking at once, it sent Ulrich flying backwards and slamming against the cinder block. He hit so hard that when he fell to the ground, an whole body imprint could be seen on the wall. Ulrich tried to get back up on his feet, but he had no more strength left in him and he blacked out.

XANA Mrs. Castello: Good. He's finally out of the way.

XANA Mr. Voclain: That's one less pathetic warrior to worry about. Now let's take care of the rest.

And with that, the 10 parents ran out of the gym and towards the factory. However, after they left, Ulrich began to wake up. He was just able to catch a glimpse of the parents exiting the gym. He knew where they would be going next. Groaning in pain, he fumbled for his cell phone in his pocket and once he had a hold of it, he quickly dialed Yumi's number. After a few rings...

_Yumi:__ Hello?_

Ulrich: Rrrgh...Yumi...it's Ulrich. Please help...

_Yumi: Oh my gosh Ulrich, are you alright?! What happened?_

Ulrich: It's XANA...He's attacking again...He possessed...the gang's parents...I tried to hold them off but...they beat me...Now they're...heading for the factory...You, Odd, and William...have to stop them...Don't worry about me...I'll be fine...Just stop the attack...please...

Ulrich went silent as he blacked out again.

_Yumi: Ulrich?...ULRICH! ANSWER ME!_

She got no response. She ended the call and quickly dialed Odd and William's number before bolting out the door towards her car. Back at the factory, Mr. Hamilton found it the best time to investigate. He pushed the elevator button and waited for it to come up. Once it did, he stepped inside and the huge doors closed and the elevator began moving again. In the Computer Lab, Jeremy was still monitoring the warrior's progress.

Jeremy: Any sign of that tower?

Alexis: Yeah! I can see just ahead!

Aelita: But it looks like we're not going to be alone.

Aelita was right. Guarding the tower were 4 of XANA's Gators.

Jonah: Darn it! I forgot those Gator things were amphibious.

Jeremy: Forget about the Gators. There's something not right here.

Gary: What do ya mean?

Jeremy: ...Matthew's not with them...

An eerie silence fell among the warriors.

Natalie: I don't like the sound of that.

Brandon: Who cares! He's not here right now. That gives us a chance to win easily and stop the attack even quicker.

But despite Brandon's confidence, the warriors weren't so sure.

Hopper: Just keep your guards up for any surprise attacks.

Aelita: Don't worry Dad. We will.

Hopper: _(to himself) I hope so._

Jeremy: Get ready guys. They see you coming.

He was right. The warriors were racing down a long rocky bridge that was connected to the tower's platform. It was right in the open and the Gators could see them coming. They blocked the entrance to the tower and they arched their backs up as they prepared to fire their spikes.

Gary: Heads up people!

Then, the Gators fired 3 spikes off of their backs and they headed straight for the warriors on the ground.

Mariah: QUICK SPLIT!

Natalie and Gary swerved out of the way of the spikes just in time. Then Gary pressed down the throttle further to the floor and barreled towards 1 of the Gators.

Gary: Mariah, when I say "jump" we bail out ok?

Mariah: Got it.

Gary drove the OverBuggy closer to the Gator at a tremendous speed, and at the last second...

Gary: JUMP!

The two warriors bailed out of the buggy and skidded to a stop along the rocky ground as the vehicle kept going before smashing straight into one of the Gators, causing it to fly off its feet and smash against the tower, destroying itself.

Mariah: Our turn now! Ready Jonah?

Jonah: Target locked...FIRING!

Jonah, who was manning the OverCopter's laser machine guns, fired multiple rounds at the second Gator, but just like the Tigers, it didn't take any damage. But also like the Tigers, the more hits it took, the angrier it got. Jonah stopped firing and Alexis turned the Copter around just in time to see the Gator open its mouth and growl at them. The XANA eye could now be seen and Jonah seized the opportunity to strike and fired a few more rounds at the beast. Several shots hit the XANA orb and within seconds, the second of the four Gators were destroyed.

Natalie: Our turn now! Brandon, jump out and distract the Gator. I'll take to the skies and once it opens its mouth, I'll use the OverRacer's laser cannon to destroy.

Brandon: You got it!

So Brandon jumped out of the back seat of the OverRacer and began sprinting towards the third Gator, while Natalie activated flight mode on the OverRacer and took to the skies. While doing so, Aelita took her chance to take on the fourth Gator. She fired a few Energy Fields at it to distract it from Brandon. It worked, as the fourth Gator began firing spikes at her to try and shoot her out of the sky. With the last Gator now distracted, Brandon raced in, jumped up in the air and sliced his scythe along the Gator's back. But of course, it didn't do damage what so ever, but Brandon knew that it was all part of Natalie's plan. Once he hit the ground, he charged at the Gator again and slashed his scythe at its back again, but still doing no damage. But he could now see that the Gator was getting frustrated.

Brandon: Ha ha. Here it comes...

At that moment, the Gator opened its mouth a roared at Brandon, exposing the XANA orb.

Brandon: NATALIE NOW!

From up in the sky, Natalie charged in with the OverRacer and locked onto the Gator. She pressed the blue fire button and a barrage of lasers shot out of the cannons and collided straight with the XANA orb, which in turn destroyed the third of the four Gators. Now all that was left Aelita. Aelita was still up in the sky dodging spikes and firing Energy Fields. She was holding her own quite well and finally, the Gator had enough. It let out a loud roar and Aelita fired one last Energy Field at it. It hit the XANA orb head on, and destroyed the last of the Gators. Smirking to herself, she floated back down to the ground and joined the gang.

Aelita: Job well done everyone.

Gang: Thanks!

Jeremy: Nice going Aelita. Now to deactivate that tower.

Aelita: Right.

And Aelita took off towards the tower leaving the gang behind. In the Computer Lab, Hopper and Jeremy were watching Aelita head for the tower, when suddenly they heard the elevator doors open. The two geniuses turned to elevator and were shocked at who they saw standing there when the doors opened.

Mr. Hamilton: What on Earth...

Jeremy: MR. HAMILTON?! What are you doing here?

Mr. Hamilton: I should be asking you the same thing Jeremy. What are you doing here and where are the children that followed you?

Suddenly, they all heard a sudden scream coming from Lyoko. It sounded like Aelita.

Mr. Hamilton: What was that?!

Jeremy: AELITA! What's wrong?

Mr. Hamilton: Jeremy, where did that scream come from?

Jeremy didn't answer as he paying too much attention to the computer screen. Mr. Hamilton walked over beside Jeremy and looked at the screen. He saw 8 icons on the screen. 7 of them were colored green with one of them near a tower of sorts and the other 6 in a group. But there was also one red icon and it was standing in front of the tower where the lone green icon was.

Jeremy: Aelita! Are you okay?

Aelita: Not really...he's back...Matthew's back again!

Mr. Hamilton heard what Aelita said and couldn't believe it.

Mr. Hamilton: Matthew? MATTHEW STEPHENSON?!

Indeed it was. Just before Aelita could enter the tower, she heard a sudden evil laughter. Then out of nowhere she was bodyslammed straight to the ground when Matthew came flying in with his red demon wings. It cost her 30 lifepoints because of it and now, Matthew was blocking the entrance to the tower. The gang saw everything for their position and quickly joined Aelita. The warriors brought their weapons out ready for yet another fight against their possessed friend. Matthew just simply smirked as he brought out his hammers.

XANA Matthew: This time, I won't need any help from my monsters. I can take you all on by myself.

Brandon: HA! I like to see you try! Ready guys?

Warriors: READY!

Brandon: CHARGE!

The 7 warriors charged in straight at Matthew ready to strike. Matthew didn't move a muscle. Instead, he smirked.

XANA Matthew: Big mistake.

He then suddenly summoned his William-like sword and focused his energy on it until it was glowing dark red.

XANA Matthew: This time I win! ELECTROSLASH!

His powerful ability shot straight out of his sword as soon as he swung it and it collided straight into the warriors, devirtualizing them instantly. Everyone except Aelita, who somehow saw it coming and summoned her wings just before she was hit. She stared coldly at the XANAfied warrior who just laughed his head off.

XANA Matthew: A 6-hit combo! Not too bad eh? Too bad I couldn't make it 7. Oh well, this should be fun though.

Aelita: Not if I have anything to say about.

At that point, Aelita summoned 2 Energy Fields in her hands and fired them at him. Matthew however, simply stepped aside to miss them.

XANA Matthew: Is that really all you got?

Aelita: Oh I can do more that just that young one.

Back in the Lab, Mr. Hamilton was still trying to make sense out of what he was just witnessing.

Mr. Hamilton: Jeremy, what on Earth is all this? How do you know about...

Natalie: Mr. Belpois! Mrs. Belpois' all alone on Lyoko with Matthew and...

Natalie stopped what she was saying when she and the rest of the gang saw who was confronting Jeremy.

Gang: PRINCIPLE HAMILTON?!

Mr. Hamilton just stood there between the gang and Jeremy mouth agape and baffled beyond belief. He turned back to face Jeremy.

Mr. Hamilton: Jeremy...I demand answers. What is going on here and how are you and your students involved in this?

Jeremy and the gang stood there silent. They didn't know what to think. Until...

?: It's none of their faults.

Mr. Hamilton: Who said that?

Just then, Franz Hopper stepped out from behind Jeremy's chair.

Hopper: I did. They're not to blame. I am.

Mr. Hamilton stared at Hopper, memories jogging around in his mind.

Mr. Hamilton: Wait a second...I've seen your face before.

Warriors: SAY WHAT?!

Hopper: Have you now?

Mr. Hamilton: Yes...I remember looking through an old scrapbook of Kadic Academy and I remember seeing this one picture of a man similar to you sitting at a teacher's desk with his arm wrapped around young pink haired girl. I was curious as to who he was and I found out from the school's archives of previous teachers that his name was Franz Hopper, a former teacher at Kadic who went missing years ago...and practically vanished off the face of the Earth. And now that I look at you, I see the resemblance from that photo. You're Franz Hopper aren't you? And that little girl in the photo was your daughter and Jeremy's wife...Aelita isn't it?

Hopper: You are correct. I am Franz Hopper and yes I was a former teacher at Kadic.

There was an awkward silence between the two.

Mr. Hamilton: I don't understand. How did you return after you went missing and how come it looks like you haven't aged.

Hopper: It's a long story, but I'm willing to tell you.

So Franz Hopper explained everything that happened to him and Aelita nearly 30 years ago. From when he created XANA, to the Men in Black invading their home, to going to Lyoko to seek safety, and to his resurrection 20 years ago with Jeremy and his friends. He then explained his return to Earth with the help from Matthew and the young gang. Mr. Hamilton couldn't believe.

Mr. Hamilton: So Jeremy...this XANA character he's mentioned...you, your wife, Coach Ulrich and you friends have fought against him for 20 years?

Jeremy: Yes...it's true.

Mr. Hamilton: And you youngsters are involved in all this.

Gang: Yes...

Mr. Hamilton: And he is the one responsible for Matthew's Prom Incident.

Warriors: Yes he is...

Mr. Hamilton fell silent as he processed everything he was told in his brain. Just then, an alarm sounded off one of the security screens pointing outside at the bridge. Jeremy and Hopper looked at it and saw in horror that the 10 possessed parents of the gang have arrived at the factory and were now entering the factory.

Jeremy: Oh no...Aelita you gotta hurry! The gang's parents are here in the factory!

Aelita: I'm trying Jeremy! But he's gotten stronger.

Matthew was in the air with Aelita swinging and slashing his blades at her. Although he laid a few hit, he hasn't been able to devirtualize her. Aelita was trying her best to dodge all of the attacks, but she wasn't sure how much longer she could hold up.

Jeremy: Oh no...this is bad...very bad.

Just then, the same alarm from the same security camera sounded off. Jeremy looked at the screen again and saw a white car speeding across the bridge before screeching to a stop outside the entrance to the factory. The doors opened and to Jeremy's relief, Yumi, Odd, and William stepped out. They ran inside the factory and saw the 10 parents heading for the elevator.

Yumi: Oh no you don't. NOW GUYS!

Odd &amp; William: BANZAI!

Swinging down the ropes, Odd and William swung towards the elevator and kicked 4 of the possessed parents away from the elevator while Yumi used her martial arts skills to knock the rest of them away. The parents were now seething in anger as the old warriors took their fighting stances.

Yumi: _(to herself) Better hurry Aelita. These parents are a tough bunch._

Breathing a big sigh of relief, Jeremy turned to face the main screen again.

Jeremy: Now's your chance to finish him off Aelita. Yumi, Odd, and William just showed up and are handling the parents.

Aelita: Okay. Here's goes.

Aelita summoned all of her strength and fired one massive Energy Field at her opponent. Matthew saw it coming, but didn't block it in time. It collided straight into his chest, costing him 40 lifepoints and causing his red demon wings to disappear. He plummeted to the ground and hit the ground with a thud costing him another 30 lifepoints. He groaned as he got back to his feet. But when he did...

Aelita: ENERGY FIELD!

Aelita fired one last Energy Field at him. It hit him square in his chest and he devirtualized in a cloud of smoke.

Aelita: Now that that's out of the way, let's try this again.

Aelita floated back down to the ground, deactivated her wings, and sprinted off towards the tower. This time, she entered it safely and walked to the center of the platform. Back in the factory, it wasn't long before the possessed parents had the upper hand on Yumi, Odd, and William. The 3 warriors were bruised and battered, but still standing. But not for much longer as the parents summoned one dark energy orb in their hands and prepared themselves to fire it at them. While at Kadic, Ulrich was still laying on the floor unconsciousness and barely alive. On Lyoko, Aelita made it to the top of the tower and entered Code: Lyoko. Suddenly, the parents grew weak as their possession finally ended. They all fell to the ground and were knocked out.

Odd: Whew, just in the nick of time.

William: As usual...

Aelita: Tower deactivated.

The tower changed from red to blue as the attacked ended at last. A few moments later, Jeremy brought Aelita back to Earth and soon enough, she joined them in the lab. But she was very surprised to see Mr. Hamilton there.

Aelita: Jeremy...why is he here?

Jeremy: Oh don't worry Aelita. He won't be here for long.

He turned to face Franz Hopper who gave him a nod of approval.

Mr. Hamilton: What are you on about now Jeremy?

Jeremy: Sorry Mr. Hamilton, but you won't remember a thing that happened in a few seconds.

Mr. Hamilton: What do you mean?

Jeremy: _(to himself) I know it's risky seeing how we only have a limited number of them but..._Return to the Past NOW!

The bright white light consumed them and everything in sight and faded away moments later.

* * *

** Kadic Academy-Outside the Gym**

**8:30 AM**

Jeremy: Well that's another one of XANA's attacks foiled.

Mariah: Yeah but just barely though.

Ulrich: I still don't understand Jeremy. Why did you use a Return to the Past if we only have a limited number of them left on the system?

Jeremy: I couldn't let Mr. Hamilton find out our secret. Even though Franz Hopper told him everything before the return trip, if we didn't turn back time, who knows what he would have done. He could have turned us all in to the police...including the kids.

Ulrich: Okay I see now. Well it's a good thing you did then. But now, we only have what...8 Return trips left?

Jeremy: That's right Ulrich. Now, we're going to have to conserve those returns as much as we can. Because if we use them all up, then XANA's chaos will remain on Earth.

Natalie: Speaking of XANA Mr. Belpois, with the school year now over...how are we going to help fight XANA if he attacks during the Summer Break?

Jeremy: That's easy, you don't.

Gang: WHAT?!

Jonah: But what if he attacks and you guys can't stop it on your own?

Ulrich: Don't worry you guys. We can handle him. We did it once and we'll do it again.

Jeremy: He's right. You all should enjoy your Summer Vacation. You've all earned it. In the meantime, I'll keep and eye on XANA and also try and find a way to bring Matthew back.

The gang felt more at ease now. So they agreed that they'll let the old warriors handle XANA while they were on Summer Break.

Gang: Best of luck to you guys!

Ulrich: Take care you all.

Jeremy: See you in 3 months for your Sophomore Year.

With that, the gang went back inside the gym to enjoy the rest of the year end celebration.

* * *

** Well guys, I'm finally back after so so...SOOOOOO long. I'm really sorry that I haven't updated the story quicker like I said I would. But I've just been really busy with my classes and all that so I never really had time to write the next chapter. But that doesn't mean I've forgotten about the story nor I have forgotten you guys. Thanks so much for sticking with me even though I haven't updated the story until now. But you know, life happens. Anyway, I really do hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. If you did, be sure to leave a review and don't forget to follow and favorite. The next chapter will hopefully come out soon and it will take place after the gang's Summer Break. I'll tell you that much right now. But for now, thank you guys so much again for reading and enjoying this chapter.**

**More to come soon! But until then, and as always, FakeACU83 OUT!**


	63. Boiling Point

_**Chapter 63: Boiling Point**_

**Friday-July 31 12:30 PM**

**Boulogne-Billancourt, France**

It was a hot Summer's day in Boulouge-Billancourt. The temperature was surprisingly high compared to an average Summer day in France, with a temperature of a roasting 90 degrees Fahrenheit. But it was perfect weather for a day at the pool, as that was where the young warriors were hanging out today. They didn't live that far from each other, so they were able to plan it all out together a few days ago, to have a fun day at a large local pool before school would resume next month. The 6 warriors arrived at the pool thanks to Mariah's dad driving them there. Even Brandon was able to go after his foster mother, the one who made his life horrible after his tragic ordeal, agreed to let him go when she saw how much he improved in school last year. The 6 warriors exited Mr. Bianchi's SUV all dressed in their normal clothes. They also had 2 swim bags. One of them had the guys swimwear, towels, a few snacks and water bottles, which Gary volunteered to carry. The other had the girl's swimsuits, towels, snacks and water, which was being carried by Mariah.

Mariah: Thanks for driving us here Dad.

Mr. Bianchi: Not a problem Mariah. You kids enjoy your day at the pool and I'll back to pick you all up at around 9:00 tonight.

Gang: Thanks Mr. Bianchi!

Mariah: See ya later Dad!

Mr. Bianchi waved at his daughter and her friends and drove away from the pool and back home. Once he was out of sight, the 6 young warriors went inside the pool compound and over to the changing rooms. A few minutes later, the guys walked out of the changing rooms dressed in there swimwear and their towels slung over their shoulders. Gary was wearing dark red swim shorts with thick black lines along the sides, Jonah had on semi-bright orange and black splattered swim trucks, and Brandon had on jet black trucks with white lining detail. Unfortunately, now the guys had to endure the long process of waiting for the girls to get changed. Not even 2 minutes later, they all got bored of waiting.

Gary: Ugh...HEY! NATALIE, MARIAH, ALEXIS! YOU GALS ALMOST READY?

Alexis: Ugh...NEARLY GARY! NATALIE'S JUST HAVING TROUBLE CLIPPING HER TOP TOGETHER! JUST GIVE US ANOTHER MINUTE AND WE'LL BE RIGHT OUT!

Gary: *sigh* Sorry guys, it'll be about another minute.

Brandon: I hope so. At this rate, the pool will be closed by the time they're done.

Natalie, Alexis, Mariah: WE HEARD THAT!

Mariah: Just go ahead and find a spot for us to set our stuff, okay?

Jonah: Alright. Come on boys. Let's go find a place to set up shop.

With that, the guys walked away from the changing area and out onto the poolside deck. When they arrived, they saw that the pool was quite big. It was in the shape of a "T", with the 5-7' shallow end being the horizontal part and the 8-12' deep end being the vertical part. They also noticed something else...

Gary: Flipping heck...this place is packed to the brim.

Brandon: No kidding...not only the pool, but the deck seems pretty packed as well. I can't seem to find an open spot.

Jonah: Well let's keep looking at least. Come on, the girls will be out pretty soon.

So the guys began searching for an open spot. Luckily for them, it didn't take them long. As they looked, they saw a group of friends getting up from 6 adjustable lounging chairs and packing their stuff. As soon as they were packed, they left the area, leaving it open for the taking.

Brandon: Quick, let's claim those chairs before someone else does.

They guys quickly made their way over to the chairs and before anyone else could claim them, the guys made it.

Gary: Whew...that was lucky. Now let's get set up here shall we.

Jonah &amp; Brandon: Right!

So they began setting their towels on the chairs to make sure that they spot were to stay claimed. Then, they set the bag, which had their snacks and water in it, off to the side and put up an umbrella over it to keep them relatively cool. As soon as they had finished...

Natalie: There you guys are.

Mariah: Were you waiting long?

The guys turned around and immediately blushed a deep shade of red when they saw the girls. Mariah was wearing a dark pinkish bikini with a matching swim-skirt, Alexis had on a one piece emerald green swimsuit, and Natalie wore a light purple and white bikini. The girls couldn't help but giggle a bit at their reaction, but it then got a little creepy when they didn't move after that.

Mariah: Hello...you boys in there?

The guys snapped back into reality after that.

Jonah: Y...yeah...sorry about that...heh heh. Well now that we're all here, what do you guys say we take a dip?

Gang: Yeah!

Gary: I call first dibs on the diving board!

And Gary walked quickly over to the deep end's diving, with the rest of the gang in tow. Once there, he got on the board, bounced a few times, and when he was high enough, he double front-flipped his way into the water and back up again.

Gary: WOO! That was fun. Come on in guys, the water's great!

And one by one, the rest of the gang joined in and began their fun day at the pool.

* * *

**Abandoned Factory-Computer Lab**

While the gang were out enjoying their summer break, someone was busy working inside the factory. But this time, it wasn't Jeremy. Instead, it was Franz Hopper. Hopper had arrived at the factory about 2 hours ago and began investigating XANA's world a bit more. While he was scanning the newly found territory, he was also doing a scan on the entire HoloWeb system to make sure that XANA's world was the only one out there. He was been typing non-stop and writing down notes on what he found in XANA's world. Mostly in regards to the terrain features there, but also notes on the massive tower-filled crater that they discovered back in the end of May. He also wrote down a theory on the crater.

Hopper: If we are to destroy XANA for good, then we need to deactivate his core tower. And I have a feeling, that very tower is in that crater. Erghhh...but which one is it? There's so many of them. And they seem to all to be deactivated...Unless XANA is trying to trick us and hide his tower. That's a possibility...but is it true?

BEEP BEEP BEEP

Suddenly, Hopper was snapped out of his thoughts when he heard the supercomputer beep a few times, meaning that the scan picked up something. Hopper checked the scan of XANA's world...but found nothing.

Hopper: Hmm? That's strange...why would the scan go off if nothing's been picked up?

But then, reality hit him like a ton of bricks. He remembered that he also did a scan on the HoloWeb System. Hopper's blood ran cold.

Hopper: Oh no...

He quickly checked the HoloWeb System's scan and found out that it indeed did pick something up. But it wasn't just one thing...

Hopper: What?! It picked up 5 entities?!

The scan had indeed picked up 5 strange objects. Hopper looked at the coordinates of the objects and quickly wrote them down in his notebook. Then, he went to the exact coordinates of one of the objects. What he saw startled him. The object appeared to be in the shape of a sphere, just like XANA's world. Hopper did an even further scan on the object and when the results came in 2 minutes later, he gasped. The object had the same terrain features as that of the Ice Sector on Lyoko.

Hopper: No...that can't be!

Realizing what he just discovered, Hopper quickly looked at the other 4 objects the scan picked up, and to his utter astonishment, they too had the same features of the other sectors on Lyoko. Hopper slumped back in the chair to gather his thoughts.

Hopper: I don't believe it...They're Replicas! I must tell Jeremy right away!

And with that, Hopper quickly got up from the chair and sprinted out towards his car that he parked on the bridge leading to the factory and drove quickly away back to Jeremy and Aelita's House. Thanks to the house being only 5 minutes away from the factory, Hopper arrived back in no time. He then got out of the vehicle and dashed inside the house, startling Aelita who was sitting on the couch looking at her laptop.

Aelita: Goodness me Dad! You nearly gave me a heart attack.

Hopper: I'm sorry Aelita, but I just discovered something big in the Digital Sea that you and Jeremy must know.

Aelita didn't know what he father was referring to, but seeing the look on his face told her that this was important.

Aelita: Wait here. I'll go get him.

And she got up from the coach and walked over to Jeremy's Study Hall room. A minute later, she came back into the living room with him.

Jeremy: Is everything alright Franz?

Hopper: No...far from it Jeremy. I was doing some research on XANA's world as well as scanning the Digital Sea for anything unusual. The scan went off and what I saw were these.

Hopper pulled out his notebook and turned to the page where he wrote down everything he saw in the Digital Sea.

Aelita: Hmm...5 entities that are shaped like spheres...

Jeremy: And have the same properties as the 5 sectors on Lyoko...

At that moment, Jeremy and Aelita's eyes grew wide. They remembered 20 years ago when they dealt with objects that matched that same description.

Jeremy &amp; Aelita: REPLICAS!

Hopper: Precisely.

Aelita: But...but...but...how did they get there?

Jeremy: I didn't pick them up when I did the scan the first time I found XANA's world.

Hopper: I have a theory Jeremy. XANA must have just created them as soon as well infiltrated his world last month.

Aelita: And if my memory serves correctly, the Replicas we found back then were connected to factories all over the world and were in charge of creating a robotic army for XANA to use to take over the world.

Jeremy: That's right but...if he created Replicas of Lyoko again...what could he be hiding or making in there?

No one replied, for they had no evidence to go off of. But meanwhile, in the Volcano Replica...

* * *

**Volcano Replica-Hidden Tower**

XANA: NO! They've discovered my secrets! Grr...I must stop them! But how? Hmm...wait a moment...yes yes that will work perfectly. Heh heh heh, time to turn up the heat.

XANA laughed evilly as he activated a tower in the Desert Sector of Lyoko. He then turned himself into a specter and crept his way out of the supercomputer and shot himself up into the sky and vanished into thin air. Nothing happened...yet. Back at the pool, the gang had decided to take a break from swimming and sit at a table covered by an umbrella and have a quick snack. The heat continued to bear down on them as they relaxed in the shade.

Gary: Flippin' heck, not even 5 minutes out of the water and already my skin's drier than Australia's Outback.

Mariah: It is a lot hotter out here than normal. What's the temperature outside anyway?

Natalie: Give me sec and I'll find out.

Natalie brought out her phone and opened up a dynamic weather app that constantly keeps track of the weather.

Natalie: It says it's about 92 degrees Fahrenheit.

Mariah: ...Yep...it's hot.

But they were completely unaware that it was about to get a whole lot hotter. In a split second a massive heat wave came in taking the gang completely by surprise.

Brandon: Phew...is it just me...or did it get like 20 degrees hotter just now.

Jonah: You noticed that too huh? Phew...I think you're right about that and it feels like it's getting hotter every minute.

Then, the gang heard several yelps and screams coming from the pool. They looked and saw that the many people inside the water were hurrying out, because the pool water had started to boil.

Gary: Okay...that's definitely not good.

The gang were sweating bullets as they were trying to figure out if the world just took a massive climate shift or something even more serious is going on. Then reality hit them all.

Alexis: Uh oh...

Gang: XANA!

But it wasn't just the gang who felt the sudden heat wave. All across France, XANA spread his heat. But he didn't go unnoticed. At the Belpois Residence, Aelita, Jeremy, Maya, and Franz were now feeling the effect of the sudden heat increase. And it showed as sweat soaked through their clothes. Jeremy already had his shirt off leaving him bare-chested, Hopper took off his labcoat, Aelita removed a sweatshirt she had on leaving just her undershirt, while Maya was a bit too embarrassed to take off anything.

Maya: Dad...what's happening? It's never this hot...

Jeremy: I'm not sure sweetheart..._(to himself) But I think I have a pretty good idea._

Just then, the TV, which had been on earlier, switched to the NEWS channel where the Belpois' saw that even the NEWS cast had been affected by the heat.

NEWS Anchor: Bizarre and Breaking NEWS coming from all across France. A massive heat wave, that seemed to come out of absolutely nowhere, has engulfed the entire country and raising the temperature to record highs. When the day began, it was already about 90 degrees or so, now in just minutes it was reached over 120 degrees and is continuing to climb. We now go to our weatherman with more.

Just as the NEWS switched over to the weatherman, an alarm was heard coming from Jeremy's Study Hall. Jeremy quickly went over to the hall and saw that XANA was at it again.

Jeremy: Just as I thought.

He then returned to the living room.

Jeremy: It's just as I thought. XANA's activated a tower and is causing this heat wave.

Aelita: And the NEWS said that it's covering all of France. So that means that Ulrich, Odd, Yumi, William, and the young ones are also feeling this.

Jeremy: Then that means there's no time to lose. I'll stay here with Maya and get in contact with the others. Franz, can you take control of this one?

Hopper: I'll do what I can.

Jeremy: Thank you.

Maya: ...Mom...

Aelita looked down at her worrying daughter. She bent down to her level and gently hugged the little girl, stroking her hair.

Aelita: Stay here with your father okay? Grandpa and I will be back soon.

With that, she released her hug and quickly followed Franz Hopper out into the ever increasing heat and towards the car. Once inside, the quickly drove down to the factory, while Jeremy went to find something to help keep himself and Maya cooled down and began making phone calls.

Jeremy: Ulrich, it's Jeremy. XANA's at it again.

Back at the pool, the gang and all of the other guests all piled in underneath a large shaded poolside deck to try and keep themselves cooled down. However, the overall temperature with was still increasing with each passing minute. Everyone was panting hard as the heat continued to get worse.

Alexis: *panting* First...first he tries to freeze us...and now...he's trying to cook us.

Brandon: XANA just doesn't know when to quit does he.

The gang agreed. Just then, Natalie heard her phone ring. With what strength she had, she picked up the phone and answered the call.

Natalie: H...hello?

Aelita:_ Natalie...whew...thank goodness. Listen, XANA's...*pant*...at it again. We need you all at the factory._

Natalie: We're miles from the factory Mrs. Belpois...We're all at the pool.

Aelita:_ Oh dear...well try to seek some shade...and we'll handle XANA._

Natalie hung up the call and turned to face her friends.

Natalie: Hang in there guys, Mrs. Belpois and them are on the way to the factory.

All the gang could do was just sigh with relief as Natalie looked at the temperature again. It was increasing minute by minute, now up to 125 degrees. Meanwhile in the city, Aelita and Franz had finally arrived at the factory after what seemed like an eternity. The heat was getting worse but the family pressed on as they made their way inside the facility and down the elevator towards Lyoko. Hopper took control on the computer and readied the virtualization process while Aelita headed for the scanners.

Hopper: The activated tower is in the Southern portion of the Desert Sector. Let's hurry and stop this heatwave.

Aelita: I got a hold of Ulrich and William. They'll be here in a few minutes.

Hopper: What about Yumi and Odd.

Aelita: They got lucky this time. They're both on vacation out of the country.

Hopper: Very well, here we go. Transfer Aelita. Scanner Aelita. VIRTUALIZATION!

* * *

**Lyoko-Desert Sector**

At long last, Aelita dropped down in the Desert Sector, feeling relieved that she was out of the heat on Earth...but...

Aelita: Man...as if the heat in the real world was bad enough, now I'm here in the desert.

Hopper: No time to dwell on it now my dear. Get to the tower! I'll keep an eye out for Ulrich and William.

Aelita: Right.

Summoning her wings, Aelita took to the skies and flew off towards the tower. Over at the pool, things were starting to get worse. The heat had increased to about 135 degrees and all of the pool guests could barely take it. The gang and everyone else were still underneath the shaded pool deck, but even with the shade, they could still feel the heat bearing down on them.

Jonah: Do...do you think...they're at the tower?

Mariah: I really...really hope they are.

Fortunately for Mariah, Aelita was closing in on the tower. But unfortunately for Aelita, getting inside the tower, like always, wasn't going to be THAT easy.

Hopper: Well done my dear. Tower within reach.

Aelita: Great! Now to end this heat...GAH!

Hopper: Aelita! Are you alright!

Aelita: *groan* Have Ulrich and William arrived yet?

Hopper: No they haven't and I'm getting slightly worried. Why?

Aelita: Because I don't think I'll be able to handle all these guys on my own.

And she right to be worried. After she was shot down from the sky and lost 20 lifepoints, she saw that she was surrounded by a Megatank, 2 Bloks, and 2 Krabs.

Hopper: Oh no...Ulrich and William where are you?

Literally as soon as he spoke those words, the elevator doors opened and revealed a heat exhausted Ulrich and William.

William: Whew...we...we're here Franz.

Ulrich: Where...where's Aelita?

Hopper: Thank goodness you two are here. Aelita already at the tower, but she's surrounded by monsters. Get there quick, she won't last by herself.

William: We're on our way. Let's go Ulrich.

Ulrich: Right!

As the two warriors, made their way to the scanners, Hopper keyed the mic back to Aelita.

Hopper: Hang on Aelita, Ulrich and William just arrived. They're on the way.

Aelita: And not a moment too soon.

While Hopper began sending Ulrich and William to Lyoko, Aelita was dodging blasts from all 5 monsters from up above them. She was handling herself well...for now. While all that was going on, Ulrich and William dropped down into the Desert Sector. The OverBike was virtualized a second later and Ulrich jumped on.

Hopper: Aelita and the tower are South from where you are. Get going you two!

William: You heard the man, let's roll. SUPER SMOKE!

With William in his smokey form and Ulrich on his OverBike, the two warriors raced away to find Aelita. Back on Earth, the country's temperature continued to climb upwards of about 140. The young warriors were trying to keep themselves cool by dowsing themselves in relatively cold water. It worked, but only for a short amount of time. As the heat continued to increase, the gang's chances of survival grew slimmer. While over in the city, Jeremy was trying his absolute best to keep little Maya cool. But the little girl was boiling like a lobster and in Jeremy's eyes, was fading fast.

Jeremy: Please...please hurry Aelita. Maya's not...gonna make it.

Aelita was trying her best to withstand the barrage of blasts from the monsters below her. With each miss, she countered attacked with her Energy Fields. However, the Megatank was able to close itself in time for it to bounce off its metal shell, while the Krabs and Bloks just moved to the side to miss. The Megatank fired its powerful laser at her one more time, and again Aelita dodged it. But then, immediately after the laser subsided, one of the Krabs behind her fired its laser at her. Aelita never saw it coming this time, as the laser shot her in the back, costing her 20 lifepoints, disabling her wings, and causing her to fall and hit the ground, costing her another 10 lifepoints. Groaning in pain, she slowly got herself back on her feet to see the monsters closing the circle on her. They all began charging up their lasers preparing to strike, and with just 50 lifepoints left in the bank, there was no way she would be able to make it out of this one...

William: OH NO YOU DON'T!

...if it wasn't for William showing up at the last second and slicing his giant blade at the eye of the Megetank, knocking it back and destroying it in the process. William jumped in front of Aelita, blade in hand, and Ulrich skidded his vehicle to a stop on the other side of her, twin swords ready.

Ulrich: Not to worry Princess, we're here for ya.

Aelita: Thank goodness you two are here. I didn't think I'd last.

William: We'll distract these guys while you head for the tower. Let's do this Ulrich.

Ulrich: Right behind ya. SUPER SPRINT!

Ulrich sprinted around Aelita and William and began creating a large dust cloud that separated them from the monsters. The Krabs and Bloks couldn't see the warriors inside the cloud, giving Aelita the perfect opportunity to run out of the dust and towards the tower. The monsters didn't see her escape at all and when Ulrich stopped and the dust settled, the monsters were confused to just see the two warriors.

William: *smirk* Oh well what a shame. SUPER SMOKE!

And to confuse them even more, William turned into smoke and began moving all around the Krabs. The two Krabs began firing at the ground at William's smoke, but he was too quick for them to get a hit. Using this as his chance, William reemerged from the smoke and jumped up on top of one of the Krabs. The big red monster tried to shake the warrior off of its top, but instead received a direct hit into its XANA eye from his sword, causing itself to blow up. William used the explosion to launch himself back into the air and land on top of the second Krab. Again, the monster tried to shake him off, but instead was destroyed by William's giant sword as well. As for Ulrich, he had a simpler plan of taking out the Bloks. Using his Super Sprint, he ran around each of the two Bloks and with one quick slice of his blades, cut clean through the Blok's XANA eyes and destroyed them with ease. All of the monsters were gone and the warriors looked out into the distance to see that Aelita had finally reached the tower and successfully went inside. William, Ulrich, and Franz Hopper breathed a big sigh of relief. Meanwhile, at the pool, the heat had increased to a staggering 150 degrees. The gang and all of the pool guests couldn't handle the heat any longer. They slowly began closing their eyes as their bodies began to shut down. In the city, Jeremy and Maya weren't in any better shape either. They're bodies began to shut down as the heat became too much. However, Aelita had reached the top of the tower and typed in Code: Lyoko. At that moment, the heat began to subside and quickly drop back down to its original temperature. With what strength they still had left, the gang had felt the sudden drop. The slowly opened their eyes and smiled.

Natalie: *panting* They...they did it.

Jeremy felt the drop in heat also. He breathed a big sigh of relief and smiled. He felt for a pulse in Maya, and was glad when he still felt one.

Jeremy: Thank goodness. You did it Aelita.

Aelita: Tower deactivated.

The tower changed from red to blue once again and Aelita emerged from it.

Hopper: Well done everyone. Another XANA plan foiled.

Aelita: Now that bodes the question Dad. Should we use another Return to the Past?

Hopper: I feel like we should Aelita. With that massive heat wave, if we don't use it, everyone's bodies will remained affected.

The three couldn't agree more.

Hopper: We currently have 8 left. So here we go. Return to the past now!

* * *

**Friday-July 31 12:30 PM**

**Belpois Residence**

When the return trip ended, Franz, Aelita, and Jeremy decided to video call Ulrich, Odd, Yumi, and William and tell them what Hopper found before the attack happened.

Odd: Well, what was it.

Aelita: Well...you won't believe this but...it was 5 Replicas.

There was a long silence when Aelita spoke those words.

Yumi: Yo...you sure that you found 5 Replicas?

Hopper: I'm 100% positive. They're Replicas of each of the 5 Sectors, just like what you all found 20 years ago. What could they be for this time, I can't say.

William: Well what about our young warriors? Do they know?

Jeremy: No they don't. And we're not gonna tell them for now.

Ulrich: Why not?

Jeremy: It's they're summer vacation. Let them enjoy themselves for the next month. And when the new school year begins...

Ulrich: Then you'll tell them?

Jeremy: Yes.

Odd: So what should we do now? XANA's got 5 Replicas out there storing who knows what, plus we got his world to get through...

Yumi: It's not going to be an easy mission is it?

Jeremy: No Yumi it's not. But no matter what, we'll be ready.

The warriors agreed and the video call ended. With 5 Replicas back in the Digital Sea, the warriors fight against XANA has just taken a big swing in another direction.

* * *

**August 7th...the last time I updated this story. And what did I say at the end of that chapter? I said, "****The next chapter will hopefully come out soon." Well it's been over 4 months since then, but at long last everyone, NEW YOUTH LIVES AGAIN! HOOOOORAY! I'm really sorry about the long wait. Life's happened with my classes and training. But now, I've found the time to finally get this chapter up and bring you guys the first New Youth chapter of 2017! If you all enjoyed, please be sure to let me know in a review, and if you're new, why not follow and favorite this story. Not to worry everyone, I have plans for the next few chapters. When will they be posted? That I can't say. I'll be busy with my classes for the next month and a half starting next week. But hopefully...HOPEFULLY...I'll find some time to post. But until then, thank you guys for sticking with me through this long dry period and thank you guys for reading and enjoying this latest installment of the story.**

**HAPPY 2017 EVERYONE! SEE YOU ALL SOON! And as always, FakeACU83 OUT!**


	64. New Year, Same Mission

_**Chapter 64: New Year, Same Mission**_

**Monday-August 24th**

**Kadic Academy-Cafeteria 7:00AM**

Summer vacation has come to an end. All of the students and staff of Kadic Academy returned to the campus safe and sound. Most of the teachers and even some of the students were ready and raring to begin a fresh new year. Even the young warriors were looking forward to the new school year. Despite everything that had happened to them since Prom last year, with Matthew getting possessed by XANA against his will and the numerous attacks he was a part of, the gang kept their chins high and we're now more determined than ever to bring their friend home. They were discussing the very topic at their normal table in the cafeteria while eating breakfast.

Jonah: Well guys, new year, new us.

Natalie: Yeah, but it's still the same mission as last year.

Mariah: She's right. The mission is still the same. Destroy XANA and bring Matt home.

Brandon: Do you guys really think we're be able to save him?

Gary: Eh? You don't think we can?

Brandon: That's not what I meant Gary. I mean, I know I'm still a rookie to Lyoko, but I have enough knowledge to know that with Matthew still under XANA's control, he's not gonna want to give him up that easily. I can tell he means business, especially with the way the fights have gone between us and him.

The gang knew that he had a point, but that didn't change their determination.

Alexis: We're gonna bring Matt home and stop XANA one way or another.

Natalie: We just have to...for the sake of the world and for him.

Natalie hung her head slightly. She still missed her boyfriend dearly and the gang could see it on her face. Mariah gave her a comforting hug which made Natalie feel a bit better.

Mariah: Don't worry Nat, everything will work out fine.

Natalie: Thanks guys.

The continued eating their breakfast after that. Then with 15 minutes left, Jeremy entered the cafeteria. He looked around the room, hoping to find the gang there. It didn't take him long to find them sitting at their normal table. Sighing with relief, he walked over to address them.

Jeremy: Good morning youngsters.

Gang: Morning Mr. Belpois!

Jeremy: I trust you all had a good summer break?

Gary: If you exclude when we almost got cooked alive at the pool in July, then yes we did sir.

Jeremy: Hmm yes...that was a surprise one for all of us.

The gang noticed the tone in Jeremy's voice seemed a little more serious than normal.

Jonah: Mr. Belpois...something tells me that not everything is alright.

Jeremy looked at the young warriors and sighed.

Jeremy: You're right Jonah. Not everything is alright. In fact, if we don't act soon, things might just get worse.

The gang didn't like the sound of that one bit.

Alexis: Wh...what do you mean sir?

Jeremy: Meet me in my classroom after classes are done. There's something very important we need to discuss with you all.

Brandon: What do you mean "we"?

Jeremy: Myself, my friends, and Franz Hopper.

With that, Jeremy turned on his heel and walked back to his classroom. The gang looked at each other, silent and still. What did Jeremy want to discuss with them and how was it that important to the point where things could get worse if something isn't done? Before they could discuss the topic, the bell rang signaling the end of breakfast and the start of the gang's sophomore year of Kadic. Like last year, the gang had the same classes. But unlike last year, their new classes were slightly more advanced compared to last year's. They were also scheduled differently and had new teachers, but they did have some classes together. Either way, with it being only Day 1 of the new year, classes today were fairly easy as it was more of an introduction to everything. Before any of them knew it, the school day had ended and the students were released for the day until tomorrow. Natalie was walking out of her final class out into the hallway. She decided to have the gang meet up in the courtyard before heading to see Jeremy. Pulling out her phone, she sent them a quick group text telling them the plan and after sending the message, she headed off to the courtyard. She didn't have to wait long, as about 5 minutes later, her friends showed up.

Natalie: Hey guys! Have a good first day?

Gary: Eh, it wasn't so bad for Day 1.

Jonah: Yeah, but now we only have 179 more days to go...great.

Brandon: Annnnyway, we're all here so might as well see what Mr. Belpois wanted to talk to us about.

Mariah: I wonder what it is he wants to talk about?

Alexis: From the way he told us this morning, I have a feeling it won't be good.

Gary: One way to find out. Let's go guys.

The gang agreed and walked back inside the campus to Jeremy's Classroom.

* * *

**Computer Science Classroom**

**4:10 PM**

The gang arrived at the classroom in no time at all and waiting for them, like they were told this morning, were Jeremy, the old warriors, and Franz Hopper. They could feel the tense atmosphere around them as Hopper spoke up.

Hopper: Gather 'round kids.

The gang did so as Hopper pulled out his notebook.

Natalie: So...what's this about?

Jeremy: I'm sure you all remember July's attack.

Jonah: The one where we were nearly cooked alive? How could we forget.

Jeremy: Very true. Anyway, before XANA launched that attack, Franz Hopper found something.

All heads turned to the elder gentleman.

Mariah: Found what exactly?

Hopper took a deep breath and began to explain.

Hopper: Before XANA's attack happened, I was doing some investigating on XANA's world. Mostly I was looking at the terrain features of the world to see what challenges may present themselves. I was also doing some investigating on that massive tower-filled crater that we found a few months ago. And with everything I learned from the investigation, I would write down in my notepad. But that is beside the point. While I was investigating, I was also running a full scan on the Digital Sea.

Alexis: Why may I ask?

Hopper: The reason was because I wanted to make sure that it was just XANA's world that was out there. And I'm afraid to say that it wasn't.

The gang grew tense when they heard that.

Brandon: You mean...there's something else other than his world?

Hopper: That's correct. Have you heard the stories of Replicas from Jeremy?

The gang pondered for a moment.

Gary: I think I remember him mentioning it, but I don't recall ever hearing the full story behind them.

Brandon: And I haven't the slightest clue on what the heck Replicas are.

Hopper: Would you all care to explain?

The old warriors nodded as Aelita took the floor first.

Aelita: Back when we were still fighting XANA and when we first entered the Digital Sea, we discovered a world that was similar to Lyoko, when really it wasn't. It turned out to be a replica of one of the 5 sectors of Lyoko. At first we didn't know why it was there or how it got there, but when we actually got inside it, things started to come together.

Jonah: Do you know when it got there?

Jeremy: We think that all of the Replicas appeared after XANA got his hands on the keys to Lyoko when he stole them from Aelita's memory using the Scyphozoa. Anyway, I later found out that I could teleport ourselves from the Replica and straight to Earth. We tried it out on Aelita and Odd and it worked.

Mariah: So you guys were teleported from Lyoko to Earth?!

Odd: Yep that's right. With full Lyoko abilities to go along with us.

The gang were amazed.

Mariah: So what did you find?

Aelita: We were teleported to the Amazonian Jungle and through the trees, I could see a laboratory. Odd and I decided to investigate and what we found inside were a number of XANA possessed scientists as well as several giant robotic spiders. But then, we were discovered by the scientists so we ran for it.

Odd: We then came across a large room at the end of one of the lab's hallways. We dove inside, shut the door, and waited to see if we would be found. It was then that we saw that we found a supercomputer inside the room guarded by a force field. I ended up breaking the shield...but then we got forced back to the Replica when XANAfied William destroyed the tower where we had parked The Skid. And when we got back, we told Jeremy what we found.

Jeremy: I determined that it was that supercomputer that was keeping the Replica together and if we were to destroy it...

Brandon: Then the Replica would be destroyed also.

Jeremy: Precisely. So when we went back there, we sent Ulrich and Yumi to go and take out the supercomputer.

Ulrich: We found the room leading to it, but found out that the door was locked. So I tried to open it by destroying the control panel...only for that to fail miserably.

Yumi: So Jeremy told Ulrich to go find the lab's generator while I stood guard by the room.

Ulrich: I ended up finding the generator and began smashing it. It did the trick as the supercomputer began to shut down and the Replica began to disappear. But then, a backup generator kicked in and turned the supercomputer back on again. Jeremy tried to find the backup generator for us, but we ended up getting defeated by those robotic spiders which caused us to return to The Skid. All the while, William showed up and began fighting Odd while Aelita went to deactivate a tower that activated on the Replica.

Aelita: I didn't make it by the way. I got devirtualized by a swarm of Hornets before I could get inside.

Odd: While all that was happening, I defeated William as well as a few of his monster friends. Jeremy told me the situation and since I was the only one left, I volunteered to try. He teleported me to the lab and told me the location of the backup generator he found earlier. I found it as well as a slew of robotic spiders. But I destroyed them all as well as the generator. I was then brought back to The Skid and I piloted us out of there just as the Replica destroyed itself.

Jeremy: We later discovered more Replicas including one in Siberia, which we found out was a factory that made an army of robots that XANA was going to use to take over the world. We knew we had to destroy that one, but William got in the way. We weren't able to destroy it, but we were able to bring William home while we were there. After that, we destroyed XANA...at least we though we did.

The gang stared at their elders in awe of the story.

Hopper: This brings us to what happened in July. The scan I was running in the Digital Sea ending up finding 5 entities. I scanned them all carefully and saw that they were in fact 5 new Replicas of Lyoko.

The gang gasped at what they heard.

Gary: But...when did they get there? I don't remember seeing one when we were in the Digital Sea.

Hopper: That's because they weren't young Gary. My theory is that XANA created those 5 Replicas immediately after we all infiltrated his world the first time. He's was getting desperate that we might foil his plans for world domination that he created them to slow us down.

Jeremy: Which brings us to our current dilemma. From previous experience, we know that the Replicas are being held together by supercomputers that are held in laboratories somewhere here on Earth. But also from experience, we know that XANA could be using those lab's to make something for him to use against use. And at this point, we don't know what it could be, but we do know that if we don't destroy those Replicas, then the world could face a bitter end.

Natalie: But also Mr. Belpois, in case you've forgotten, Matthew is still being controlled by XANA. And the longer he's with him, the more difficult it could be to possibly bring him home!

Gary: We can't just let XANA keep him for that long! He's been possessed for months already and we've feel like we can bring him home!

Young Warriors: Yeah!

Jeremy: I realize that young ones, we all do. But what is more important to you right now? The safety of you friend...or the safety of the very world that you live on now?

The gang fell silent at the question.

Jeremy: We know what we have to do. And that is to weaken XANA as much as possible before destroying him. And we feel that destroying these 5 new Replicas will do just that. But don't worry, we haven't forgotten about you friend. We'll figure out a way to bring Matthew back to Earth safe and sound. And when we do, we'll be able to use all of our power to destroy XANA once and for all. So what do you all say? Are you willing to help us destroy these Replicas?

The gang thought for a moment among themselves, but came to a unanimous decision.

Natalie: If it means stopping XANA and bringing Matt home...then we're up for it.

Jeremy, Hopper, and the old warriors smiled.

Jeremy: I'm glad to hear it.

Hopper: Now then, thanks to the scan picking up all 5 Replicas, we already know where they're all located. But unfortunately, we can only handle one at a time. So here's the plan.

He showed them his notebook and the 5 sets of coordinates on the page. He pointed to the one in the middle.

Hopper: These are the coordinates of one of the Replicas. It's the closest to Lyoko, so that is where we will start. The plan is to get inside the Replica, have someone be teleported to the laboratory, do some reconnaissance of the area, and go back to Lyoko.

Jonah: Sounds like a plan.

Jonah turned to face his friends.

Jonah: You guys ready to go up against XANA again?

Gang: Ready!

Hopper: Fantastic! We start tomorrow.

The warriors agreed with the plan and with that, the gang went off back to their rooms, while the old warriors returned to their homes. However, none of them were aware of what was going on in the factory.

* * *

**Abandoned Factory-Scanner Room**

Unbeknownst to the warriors, one of the scanners whirred into life and a few moments later, the doors opened up. Mist poured out from the scanner, but after a few seconds it cleared up and out of the scanner stepped Matthew. He was dressed in his normal clothing with his white F1 T-shirt, black jeans, blue and white sneakers, and glasses, but still he had an evil grin stretching across his face and XANA's logo in his eyes. He chuckled to himself as he walked over to the elevator and pushed the up button. The elevator came to a stop a second or two later and the doors opened to the computer lab. The XANAfied warrior walked over to the supercomputer, sat down in the chair, and began typing on the keyboard. A few seconds later, images of the young warriors Lyoko forms popped up on the screen as well as various statistics. Matthew skimmed through everything on the screen and smiled evilly.

XANA Matthew: I have the information Lord XANA.

XANA, who was watching from his tower's interface, chuckled as he saw the stats of the warriors.

XANA: Very good Matthew. You've done well not to get caught and to find this info. I know what to do now, so you may return.

XANA Matthew: Understood my lord.

Matthew closed the images and the stats and started up the self-virtualization process. He quickly went back down to the scanner room, hopped inside one of the scanners, and was transported back to Lyoko and to his master.

* * *

**Probably didn't expect the next chapter to come out this soon huh guys. Well, I had plenty of free time during my weekend to work on it, so here it is everyone! Kind of a filler chapter I feel like, but hey if you guys are still enjoying it then that's good enough for me. And just so you guys know, the story the old warriors told was from Code Lyoko: Episodes 71, 78, 79, &amp; 93\. I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THOSE EPISODES AT ALL! ALL RIGHTS GO TO THE CODE LYOKO FRANCHISE AND NOT ME! Whew...anyway moving on.**

** So now begins a new year for the gang but the mission is still the same. How will our young heroes handle the Replicas and what was it that Matthew showed XANA? All these questions and more will be answered soon my friends. Oh and before I forget, the last two chapters (62 &amp; 63), I forgot to give a shout-out to my friend pokemonking0924 for the idea of Mr. Hamilton discovering the warriors secret as well as finding out about Franz Hopper in Chapter 62, and also a shout-out to my other friend INSAGNIA for the idea of the heat wave attack in Chapter 63. THANKS YOU GUYS FOR THE HELP! YOU'RE AWESOME!**

**Anyway, thank you guys so much for reading and enjoying this latest chapter. As also leave a review, follow and favorite if you're new and I'll see you all in Chapter 65!**

**And now, as always FakeACU83 OUT!**


	65. Ice Replica Recon

_**Chapter 65: Ice Replica Recon**_

**Tuesday-August 25th**

**Kadic Academy-Courtyard 4:05 PM**

Alexis: Well guys, ready to see what Replicas are like?

Gary: I'm ready!

Mariah: Me to!

Brandon and Jonah: So are we!

Natalie: Hmm...

The gang looked over at Natalie slightly concerned.

Gary: What's wrong Nat?

Natalie: Well...to be honest guys, I'm a little hesitant about going to these Replicas. I know that they're just copies of Lyoko, but that doesn't mean that it's going to be just as easy to get through. Who knows what kinds of tricks and challenges XANA OR Matthew could have left us.

The gang knew she had a good point, but at the same time they knew that the fate of the world was at stake and like Jeremy told them all yesterday, if something isn't done, things could take a turn for the worst.

Jonah: Hey Natalie, don't worry you're pretty little head. The whole team's right here beside you and we got Mr. Belpois and them to guide us through everything. Everything will be fine, trust me.

Natalie smiled slightly and let out a small giggle.

Natalie: You sounded almost like Matthew saying that.

Jonah: Heh, I guess it rubs off on everyone doesn't it.

The gang laughed at that, but then stop when they saw Jeremy and Ulrich approaching them.

Ulrich: Well you kids ready?

Gang: Yes sir!

Jeremy: I must warn you all, these Replicas aren't going to be a cakewalk. There could be all kinds of tricks and traps there if you're not careful. So stay sharp and we'll guide you. Now let's go.

The gang nodded and followed Ulrich and Jeremy towards the factory.

* * *

**Lyoko-Sector 5**

**Skid Chamber**

**Some time later...**

Aelita: All systems are go Jeremy.

Jeremy: Roger that Aelita. You are clear for take off.

Aelita: Here we go everyone. Onwards to the Replica. LIFTOFF!

Pulling the thrusters back, The Skid 2.0 lifted off and out of the chamber. Aelita could see the open tunnel and carefully navigating the ship through it and out into the Desert Sector, above the Digital Sea.

Aelita: Diving in 3...2...1...DIVE!

The ship plummeted out of the sky and with a massive splash, plunged into the Digital Sea. A moment or two later, the metal gates to Lyoko opened up and The Skid emerged and slowly came to a stop. In the dual cockpit, Aelita rotated the ship to her side enabling her with all the control and leaving Brandon on the lookout. Meanwhile in the factory, Jeremy began typing a command and some numbers. They were the coordinates of the first Replica. He hit ENTER and watch the info get transmitted from the computer to The Skid. The info came up on Aelita's interface and she punched in the coordinates on the map of the Digital Sea. It didn't take long for the Replica to be located on the map as it was fairly close to the east of Lyoko.

Aelita: Replica's been spotted on the map Jeremy.

Jeremy: Excellent. You know what to do Aelita.

Aelita: Roger that. Let's go.

So pushing the throttle levers forward and right, Aelita piloted The Skid 2.0 and the warriors on towards the first Replica. While they made their way towards the world, Natalie spoke up.

Natalie: So what's the plan exactly Mr. Belpois?

Jeremy: Basically the plan is to just do a simple reconnaissance mission of the Replica's factory, wherever on the world it may be. I will be sending all 6 of you youngsters to the factory and have break in and scan around the area. Nothing to crazy or brash, just simple recon. But this will be the only time that will happen.

Jonah: Why's that?

Jeremy: Really I want to get you all acclimated to Replicas and understand what they are. And after this mission, then we'll come back there, find the Replica's supercomputer, destroy it and destroy the Replica all together. Easy day.

Gary: Let's hope so. Normally things like that aren't so easy.

The young warriors agreed with Gary as The Skid 2.0 continued through the Digital Sea.

* * *

** Unknown Factory-Unknown Location**

Meanwhile somewhere on Earth, XANA was watching the warriors head towards the Replica through a interface with Matthew standing close behind.

XANA Matthew: It's seems they're heading to one of your Replicas my Lord.

XANA: Yes it appears so my apprentice.

XANA Matthew: What should we do? Should we start the plan?

XANA went silent for a moment, then turned his smokey skull to face Matthew.

XANA: Hmm...no not yet. It's only a recon mission.

XANA Matthew: But my Lord, if they find the Replica's supercomputer while on their mission, they could destroy it, the Replica, and all of your creations in the factory.

XANA: Yes Matthew, but even if that does happen, it won't be enough to stop me. To stop us.

He then turned back to face the screen.

XANA: We'll let them carry out their mission. If they find the supercomputer, I'll send my forces after them. If they destroy it however, well...I have a backup plan.

XANA chuckled to himself and continued watching the screen.

XANA Matthew: If you insist Lord XANA.

XANA: Oh I insist, but as a precaution, be ready to be sent to the Replica's factory in case things get out of hand.

Matthew smiled his evil smile.

XANA Matthew: As you wish my Lord.

He turned on his heal and walked towards a ladder leading to a floor below them, where a lone scanner stood. Back over in the Digital Sea, the Skid's radar started to go off. Aelita looked down at the screen and saw a blinking dot coming in closer to the center. She knew at that point what it was.

Aelita: Get ready everyone, Replica #1 is in sight.

And it was. As the warriors readied themselves for their mission, the first of 5 new Replicas came into view. Jeremy could see it as well from the computer screen. As Aelita pulled to a stop in front of the Replica's access point, she rotated the ship back to its vertical position and activated the Digital Key. The bright white beam of light emitted itself from the front of the Skid and connected with the gate's lock, bringing up the combination puzzle on the computer screen in the factory. Jeremy began typing in the security code to the Replica which was given to him a few weeks prior to school starting up again when Franz Hopper took the time to figure out all of the Replica's security codes. It took him a moment or two to type it all out, but before long the numbers on the screen turned to green meaning that the code was accepted. And with the code accepted, the gates to the first Replica were opened.

Ulrich: Alright ladies and gents. Here we go again. Infiltrating Replicas to stop XANA again.

The old warriors agreed with Ulrich as Aelita moved the Skid through the gates to enter the Replica. After a moment, the ship popped out of the Replica's Digital Sea and began ascending to the terrain above them. The warriors looked up at the landscape and saw that it was all snow and ice.

William: So Replica #1 is the Ice Replica.

Yumi: Appears so.

A second later, the Skid appeared over the land horizon and began hovering over the Replica. It was then that Aelita noticed something in front of here.

Aelita: Oh well that's convenient. There's a tower straight ahead.

Jeremy: Good eye Aelita. Dock the Skid there and we can begin.

Aelita: Roger that.

So slowly and carefully, Aelita piloted the Skid over towards the tower. She stop right beside it and Jeremy activated the tower, making the aura around it turn green, and activated the docking program he used so many years ago. The warriors felt the ship jolt slightly as the program secured it to the tower. Aelita then Energerized herself and the warriors outside the Skid and waited for instructions.

Jeremy: Alright, The Skid is docked and now on to the mission at hand. For you youngsters, I'll be translating you all to the location of the Replica's factory and as for the rest of you, you all guard The Skid and wait for them to return. Hopefully this shouldn't take too long and you'll be back home in no time.

Odd: Sounds good to me!

Jeremy: Are you kids ready?

Young Warriors: Yes sir!

Jeremy: Ok then, here we go. Translating!

Jeremy entered the command and like magic, the 6 young warriors disappeared from sight.

Ulrich: Well let's see what they can find.

Yumi: I hope they'll be okay. Knowing from experience, these Replicas can be ruthless at times.

Odd: But even so, it's what they gotta do if they're going to stand any chance against XANA.

Aelita: I have faith in them guys. They'll do fine.

Reluctantly, the warriors nodded in agreement as they stood guard in front of the Skid. Meanwhile, up in the factory...

Jeremy: Can you hear me everyone?

Alexis: Loud and clear sir!

Mariah: But just where the heck are we?!

Jeremy: I can find out, but can you describe the surroundings for me?

Natalie: We're standing in the middle of a huge snow storm on what I think is an iceberg.

Jeremy: Hmm...hang on let me see.

Jeremy pulled up a map of the world that also showed where the young warriors were on Earth. He starting looking up north and made his way down south. He kept looking further south on the map and was surprised at what he saw.

Jeremy: Well would you look at that. You're in the middle of Antarctica.

Young Warriors: SAY WHAT?!

Jeremy: I kid you not. You're in Antarctica.

* * *

**Antarctica-Outside the Factory**

Brandon: Well that'll probably explain the snow storm. I'm surprised at how I'm not even cold.

It was then that the gang realized that they weren't feeling cold either.

Natalie: Why is that?

Jeremy: It's because you're in specter form on Earth. Just like how XANA was the night of Prom, you can't feel heat, cold, wind or anything, but you are vulnerable to other specter's attacks, and just like on Lyoko, you can use your weapons and if you take too much damage here, you'll be translated back inside the Skid.

Natalie: A lot to take in, but make sense.

Jeremy: Just part of the learning process. Now, can any of you see the factory near you?

Gary: To be honest Mr. Belpois, I can hardly see anything.

Jeremy: Look carefully everyone.

The gang did so, but with the snow storm as bad as it was, it seemed almost impossible to see anything but the color white. That is, until...

Jonah: Hey guys, I think I see something.

Jonah pointed in the direction he was facing the gang looked that way. Squinting their eyes, they could faintly see a long but short building in front of them with what appeared to be a few patches of gray metal being exposed.

Jonah: That could be it. Let's go see.

With Jonah leading the way, the gang ran through the wind and snow towards the object. When they arrived, they saw a large metal door in front of them with a security code keypad beside it. It was then they knew they found what they were looking for.

Mariah: We found it Mr. Belpois. But how do we get in without the code?

Jeremy: Leave that to me.

Jeremy began typing random number combinations on the screen until eventually, the small screen on the keypad turned green and the metal door opened up.

Alexis: Well...that was quick. Let's go guys.

The gang ran inside as the door closed behind them. They were finally inside the Replica's factory. They looked around them. There wasn't much to see at the moment. Just a narrow metal hallway leading in two opposite directions.

Brandon: So...how should we go about doing this guys?

Natalie: We should split up. That way, we'll be able to cover more ground.

Gary: Good idea.

Natalie: Right, Gary, Jonah, and me well head to the left, while Brandon, Mariah, and Alexis go the other way. Let's not waste time guys, let's move!

With that, the gang split up and went their separate ways. The hallway was quite long but before long, both groups arrived at the end of the hallway in what looked like a large dome-shaped connector of sorts. For Natalie, Gary, and Jonah, there wasn't much there. But there was another hallway that led away from the connector-dome.

Gary: Maybe there's something down there.

Jonah: Well this is a recon mission so let's go see.

So the team of 3 cautiously made their way down the 2nd hallway. About halfway down, the saw two large window panes on both sides of the hall. Natalie signaled for her team to be quiet and for them to get down low, below the glass. Gary and Jonah understood this and followed through. Carefully crouching their way forward, they came up to the window on the left side of the hallway.

Natalie: Mr. Belpois, we found two windows down this hallway, one on each side.

Jeremy: Two windows huh? What can you see?

Natalie poked her head up just enough to see the room behind the glass and saw a massive abundance of robotic machines handling metal rods, ball bearings, and other metals. She also noticed that other robots were welding the pieces together to make them look like mechanical arms.

Natalie: Weird...I see a bunch of machines making robotic arms.

Jeremy: Robotic arms?

Jonah: Maybe XANA's making prosthetic arms for amputees.

Gary: If only that were true.

Jeremy: I agree with Gary on that one Jonah. XANA must be making those arms for something else. The question is what? Do you see any XANAfied workers in there?

Natalie looked again, but to her surprise, she didn't see anyone in the room.

Natalie: No...it all looks automated.

Jeremy: Hmm...

But then, Natalie noticed something else.

Natalie: I see the arms on a conveyor belt and they look like their leaving the room and going...under the floor.

Jeremy: Under the floor? But where would they be going?

Natalie didn't know, but Gary had a good idea.

Gary: Maybe the window on the other side will tell us.

Natalie: Smart thinking Gary. Let's see.

So keeping themselves low, the small team went over to the 2nd window and peered inside. They saw the arms coming up from the floor, on the conveyor belt and being dropped into a large metal bin that was nearly full.

Jonah: We see the arms Mr. Belpois. They're going into the other room and dropped into a huge bin.

Jeremy: Hmm...interesting.

Suddenly, there was a loud alarm. At first, the team thought that they were caught and would have to fight, but then they saw the conveyor belt stop and the giant bin now full of robotic arms descend into the floor and be replaced by a new empty bin. With the bin now in place, the conveyor kicked back into action, dumping more and more mechanical arms into it.

Natalie: Ok...that was weird. The bin just went into the floor and another one just came out.

Jeremy: Hmm...this is strange. Why would they be going into the floor?

Brandon: Mr. Belpois!

Jeremy: Brandon, Alexis, Mariah are you 3 alright?

Mariah: We're fine, but you won't believe what we've found.

Alexis: We found a room that's making robotic arms and another room that's taking those arms somewhere below us.

Jeremy went silent for a moment.

Jeremy: Funny you 3 should say that...because your teammates found the exact same thing.

Brandon: They did?!

Jeremy: Keep exploring everyone. There might be more of these rooms.

Young Warriors: Right!

So the 2 teams continued down the hallway until they came up to another connector-dome, with another hallway leading away from it. Feeling a sense of déjà vu, the two teams went down the next hallway. About halfway down, they saw another set of two windows, one on each side again. Gary looked at Natalie, slightly surprised.

Gary: You thinking what I'm thinking?

Natalie: I think so, but let's go see.

The team made their way to the windows and to their surprise, they saw the same thing there as they did in the previous hallway. A large room making robotic arms, sending them down through the floor into the other room, where they were dropped off in a large metal bin.

Jonah: We found the same two rooms down this hallway as we did the last one Mr. Belpois.

Jeremy: No way...

Alexis: Mr. Belpois, there's two of the same rooms here as there were a few minutes ago.

Jeremy: This is starting to get even more strange. 2 hallways both with rooms manufacturing and dumping robotic arms. What could this all mean? Hmm...keep going kids. See if you can find anything else.

The gang did so as they continued down the hallway. Eventually, for the third time, they came across a connector-dome. But this time they found something...

Natalie: Brandon, Mariah, Alexis?

Mariah: Woah...that's weird.

Alexis: Looks like this factory just makes one big loop Mr. Belpois. We just came across each other.

Jeremy: You're right about that Alexis. I'm looking at the map of the factory, and I see that it's in the shape of a pentagon and those domes you all found are its pivot points. And those rooms you all found are on each of the pentagon's sides except for the main entrance.

Gary: Well that makes the layout easier to remember.

The gang could only agree more. Then, Jonah noticed something.

Jonah: Hey guys look, there's a door here.

The gang looked and saw that there was indeed a door that led to the center of the pentagon.

Jeremy: You found a door Jonah? Does it have a security keypad by it.

Jonah looked and sure enough there was.

Jonah: Yes Mr. Belpois, there's one.

Jeremy: That might be where the supercomputer might be.

Brandon: Well...should we try to bust it open?

Jeremy: No, that's not the mission right now. The mission was to get you all a taste of what a Replica could hold in store. And I would say that this was a success. So for now, what I need you all to do now is to exit the building so I can translate you all back to the Skid so we all can go home.

Alexis: Can't you just do that from here?

Jeremy: Unfortunately no. The factor blocks the transmission so I need you all to go outside so it can work properly.

Natalie: Alright. Come on guys, let's get out of here.

With Natalie leading the charge, it wasn't long before the gang made it back outside in the snow storm of Antarctica.

Brandon: We're outside now.

Jeremy: Good, I'm sending you all back now.

Typing in the command and pressing ENTER, the gang disappeared from Antarctica and back inside their respective places in the Skid. The old warriors noticed this and were slightly surprised that they all came back at the same time.

Aelita: Jeremy, did something happen?

Jeremy: No, they finished the mission.

Yumi: Huh? You mean...it was that easy?

Jeremy: Surprised about that to huh?

Yumi: Yeah kinda.

Ulrich: So...no attack by evil XANA scientists, no attack by giant spider robots...

Jeremy: Nope...nothing.

Odd: MAN! Why couldn't our mission be that simple?! Every time we were here, William would always attack us.

William: I'M STILL RIGHT HERE YOU MORON!

Jeremy: Easy there guys. I'll explain everything once you get back to Earth. For now though Aelita, it's time to head back to Lyoko.

Aelita: Roger that.

So Jeremy energized the warriors back inside the Skid, released the docking program from the tower, and Aelita taking charge, she guided the ship back into the Digital Sea.

* * *

** Unknown Factory-Unknown Location**

XANA called Matthew back from the scanner room to join him in the lab once he saw the warriors leave.

XANA Matthew: So what should we do now my Lord? They know the layout of the Antarctic Factory.

XANA just chuckled.

XANA: We use the information you found yesterday and put our plan into action the next time they come to the Replica.

The XANAfied warrior grinned slyly at his master's idea.

XANA Matthew: Excellent idea. So who should be first?

XANA: Hmm...let's see here...

* * *

**Annnnnnnd...BOOM CLIFFHANGER! Yep, haven't had one of those in the story for a while. So the gang now know what Replicas can be like, but with 6 Replicas total, can they power through to save the world and Matt? And what is Matthew and XANA's "plan"? Only I...and maybe one or two of you know the answer to that. But fear not everyone, all will be revealed in due time. But anyways, I hope you enjoyed this new chapter to the story. If you did, then you know the drill, leave a review, follow and favorite, and maybe share the story with your friends.**

**More chapters on the way my friends. But for now, and as always, FakeACU83 OUT!**


	66. Strengths and Weaknesses: Mariah

_**Chapter 66: Strengths &amp; Weaknesses: Mariah**_

**Wednesday, August 25th**

**Unknown Factory-Unknown Location**

XANA Matthew: Lord XANA, who should we go after first in your plan?

XANA: We'll go after the one who's strength lies in her creative mind. According to the statistics you found the other day, it seems that she is able to think things through. Much better than her teammates. And that is where our plan will be put into action.

Matthew smiled his evil smile as XANA explained the plan.

XANA Matthew: So we force her in a situation where she would have to think on her feet with no time to pause?

XANA: Heh heh heh... I'm glad to see you're catching on Matthew.

But it was then that Matthew thought of something.

XANA Matthew: But my Lord, what if she's not one of them who goes to the factory? What then?

XANA however just chuckled before he answered.

XANA: I wouldn't be too worried my apprentice. I have a feeling she'll be one of those pathetic warriors going to the factory.

Matthew smiled evilly again when he heard that.

XANA Matthew: Understood Lord XANA.

With that, the XANAfied warrior turned on his heel and walked away.

XANA Matthew: _(to himself) I hope you're prepared for what's about to come you're way...Mariah._

* * *

**August 26th-4:00 PM**

**Kadic Academy-Courtyard**

It was the end of another day at Kadic. We find the gang outside in the courtyard crowding over one of the benches. Jeremy had texted them all earlier that day telling them to meet him and Ulrich out in the courtyard after class.

Brandon: Soooo...you guys know why Mr. Belpois told us to meet him out here?

The gang were silent for a second before Natalie spoke up.

Natalie: I think I have a pretty good idea. I think we're going to finish off the Ice Replica.

Jeremy: Very perceptive Natalie.

The gang looked and saw Jeremy and Ulrich walking up towards them.

Jeremy: We are indeed going to destroy the first Replica and you're going to help us do it.

Gary: Well...which ones out of us are going to the Replica and who will we be going with?

Ulrich: Jeremy's already thought it through and he'll explain it all once we dock at the Ice Replica.

Jeremy: That's right. So for now, let's get a move on.

With that, the gang followed Jeremy and Ulrich into the park and towards the factory. No sooner had they disappeared into the trees, Stephanie came out of the campus in a hurry. She was looking for Brandon and could have sworn that she saw him through the windows of the building. She hightailed her way through the crowds of students and skidded to a stop outside in the courtyard, but when she looked around for him...he wasn't there.

Stephanie: Huh...what? Oh come on, not again! *sigh* Man, what's a girl gotta do to find a guy she likes?

Disappointed, she turned around and walked back inside the campus to head to her room. She's had something on her mind about Brandon before the last school year ended and she's been wanting to tell him for a while, but if you haven't guessed, has always been unlucky when it came to trying to get him at the perfect time.

Stephanie:_ (to herself): Will I ever get the chance to tell him?_

Meanwhile, about 20 minutes later, the gang and the old warriors arrived at the Ice Replica. Aelita carefully docked the Skid beside a tower and energized herself and her fellow warriors outside the ship. Once they were all out, Jeremy began to explain the plan.

Jeremy: Okay, so the ones who I've decided to go on this mission will be Yumi, William, Aelita, and Mariah. You're mission is simple, get to the Replica's supercomputer, destroy it, and you'll destroy the Replica. The rest of you stand guard by the Skid. We can't afford to have it be destroyed, otherwise we won't have a way to get you to and from Replicas.

Warriors: Got it!

Jeremy: Alright you four, here we go. Translating!

In a split second, the 4 warriors disappeared from sight in a flash of light. However, they were all unaware that XANA and Matthew were watching them. The evil duo couldn't help but chuckle evilly when they saw who was going to the Replica's factory.

XANA Matthew: It seems like you were right Lord XANA. The target is going to the factory.

XANA: Indeed she is. And now we can begin our plan.

XANA changed the interface from watching the warriors to a camera inside the main hallway of the factory.

* * *

**Antarctica-Outside the Factory**

A few seconds after being translated from the Ice Replica, Yumi, William, Aelita, and Mariah appeared in the seemingly continuous snow storm of Antarctica a few feet away from the factory.

Jeremy: Aelita, Mariah, William, Yumi, can you all hear me over there?

William: We hear you Jeremy. But we can't see much out here to be honest.

Jeremy: Let me guess, a big snow storm?

Yumi: Right on the money Jeremy.

Aelita: So where's the factory exactly? I can hardly see it or anything else for that matter.

Jeremy: Mariah, can you show them the way?

Mariah: Hee hee, sure thing Mr. Belpois!

She turned to face her elder teammates.

Mariah: The factory entrance is just over there if you look carefully.

Mariah pointed in the direction of the factory and the old warriors peered carefully through the swirling snow. Mariah was quite right. They could faintly see the factory from where they were standing.

Yumi: Oh there it is.

William: I guess being on that recon mission yesterday really helped huh?

Mariah: Hee hee YEP!

Aelita: Well Mariah, lead the way.

Mariah: Yes ma'am!

With that, Mariah led the small team towards the factory and within about a minute, they were all inside the main hallway.

Yumi: Alright Mariah, you know the way to the supercomputer, so lead on.

Mariah: Sure thing. It's this way, follow me!

Mariah headed down the left side of the main hallway towards one of the factory's connector domes. The old warriors followed behind, but there was a sizable between themselves and Mariah. And that was what XANA was hoping for. Mariah made it to the first connector dome and looked behind her to see the old warriors falling behind somewhat.

Mariah: Come on guys! It's not that far!

But then there was trouble. Before any of the old warriors could reply, a massive metal door slammed shut right in front of the old warriors, separating Mariah from themselves. But that wasn't all. At the end of each hallway, another metal door shut, cutting off any ways of getting to the supercomputer room.

Aelita: What? NO!

Yumi: Mariah, can you hear us?

Mariah: Yeah I can hear you!

William: Come on, we gotta pry this thing open!

William brought out his giant sword and jabbed it right in between the door and the wall. Using all of his strength, he tried to pry the door open, but it wouldn't budge. Yumi and Aelita stepped in and helped as best as they could, but it still wasn't enough to open the massive door. Jeremy was watching the whole thing, and he was starting to get concerned.

Jeremy: Come on everyone. Mariah can't do this mission on her own.

William: Well it's not easy for us here Jeremy. This stupid door won't budge.

Then, they heard a sound. It sounded like sharp metal emerging from a sheath and it sounded like it came from above them. Slowly looking up, they gasped at what they saw. Above them, they saw that the whole ceiling was now covered in sharp spikes pointing down straight at them. And to make matters worse, the spiked up ceiling started to slowly lower towards them. Now the old warriors were scared.

Aelita: Jeremy...we have a big problem...

And the problems continued to arise, but this time for Mariah. From behind her, she could hear the sound of blades slashing about. Mariah looked down the 2nd hallway and saw that it was littered with swinging blade traps.

Mariah: Oh man...

Jeremy: It looks like we don't have a choice now. Mariah, it's up to you now. Clearly that door isn't going to open, so you have to find a way through the other sealed hallways and stop the trap. Forget about the supercomputer for now.

Mariah: But...I'm not sure if I...

Jeremy: There's no time! GO!

Mariah was very nervous. In the real world, she was very good at being able to think things through. But now, seeing that her teammates were in trouble, the hallways were being blocked, and her having to navigate through a trap herself, Mariah now had to think on her feet. She was scared and she didn't move.

Jeremy: Mariah, I know you're scared, but you have to focus. From what I'm seeing, there's traps in each of the hallways and in order for you to stop the ceiling, you have to make it through the other 4 hallways.

Mariah: But how am I going to get past this hallway?!

Jeremy: I'm afraid you'll have to figure that out on your own. But you must hurry!

Mariah looked at the swinging blades that infested the hallway. There were 8 sets of blades with the first being 4 blades swinging from the ceiling, the 2nd being 4 blades swinging from both walls. The 3rd set was 6 blades extending out of the floor two at a time and the 4th set was 6 blades extending out of the walls also 2 at a time. The 5th set consisted of 4 blades moving from one side to the other across the floor and the 6th set were 4 blades moving from side to side across the ceiling. The 7th and 8th set were 8 blades in a circle that closed in to the center every so often. After that was the door leading to the next hallway. Mariah looked at the trap in front of her, still scared. But then, something in her mind clicked. Due to her weakness of thinking on her feet, she failed to notice that there was a pattern for each set of blades. But now, she thought it through and did it quickly. With her confidence back, she took off through the trap. She weaved in and out of the 1st set of the ceiling swinging blades before ducking and dodging through the 2nd set.

Mariah: _(to herself) There ya go Mariah, use this momentum._

And she did as well. Waiting for the precise moment, she sped through the 3rd and 4th sets of blades that extended out of the walls and ceiling. She then moved on to the 5th set where she saw the 4 blades coming out of the floor one at a time and move across the floor in a diagonal formation before retracting back into the floor. They were moving quite fast, but Mariah saw an opportunity. Once she saw the last blade move across the floor, she saw a clear path and darted across and reached the 5th set of blades going across the ceiling. She saw the same pattern with this set as she did the last. Once she saw an opening, she dashed across. She was now at the last two sets of blades. These sets were circles of blades closing at the center at opposite intervals, meaning when one set was closed, the other was opened...simple really. Mariah clearly saw the pattern and when the moment was right, she dove through the 7th set just before the blades closed in and jumped through the 8th and final set of blades before reaching the door at last. She saw a big red button on the wall beside the door. Having a good idea of what it would do, she pressed it. When she did, all of the swinging blade traps in the hallway stopped and disappeared in the walls, floor, and ceiling and within a second, the door to the second hallway opened up.

Mariah: BOO-YAH! That's what I'm talking about!

Jeremy: Well done Mariah, but need I remind you who you're trying to save?

Mariah: Uh oh...better keep going!

With that, she sped off past the door, through the connector dome, and into the 2nd hallway. However, XANA and Matthew were watching it all and they were surprised that Mariah made it through the first trap.

XANA Matthew: Lord XANA, should I intervene?

XANA: Hmm...no. I don't think that's necessary right now. But stand by in the scanner room.

XANA Matthew: Yes my Lord.

Matthew went down one floor towards the scanner room, while XANA continued to monitor Mariah.

Jeremy: You might wanna pick up the pace Mariah because the main hallway's ceiling is about a quarter of the way down.

Mariah gasped at what she heard and she was right to be nervous. While she was navigating the swinging blades, the spiked ceiling was now even closer to turning the old warriors into Swiss Cheese. William and Yumi kept trying to pry open the door with William's sword while Aelita was trying to use her Creativity ability to push the ceiling back up. It wasn't working, but she was able to slow it down some. Aelita kept focusing hard on the ceiling, but she knew that she wouldn't last much longer. Mariah knew that she had to hurry. She looked down the 2nd hallway from the connector dome and was expecting to see another trap as Jeremy had told her. But she was surprised to see that the hallway was completely empty.

Mariah: Oh...well that's easy. No traps means an easy exit.

But she was about to be proven wrong. No sooner had she took one step into the hallway, that she was zapped by the floor. Mariah jumped back in surprise and short of 10 lifepoints.

Mariah: Ouch that hurt! What was that?

Jeremy: It looks like you got electrocuted by the floor.

Mariah: Well that'll explain the empty hallway.

Mariah knew that this puzzle would be difficult to solve, but she also knew that she had to hurry and figure it out. There had to be a way through to the other side of the hallway, but how could there be if the floor was electrified?

Mariah: Wait a minute...THAT'S IT!

Mariah had a bright idea as she pulled out one her laser cannons and pointed it at the floor. She then fired a few shots at the floor and the shots caused some electric bolts to emit from the floor. But they also showed a clear patch of floor that was safe to step on.

Mariah: Bingo.

Mariah stepped onto the patch of floor that wasn't electrified and was glad to see that her plan was working. Smiling to herself, she brought out her 2nd laser cannon and began firing shots from both. She could see the electricity-clear path show itself and while continuing to firing shots, she walked the path slowly making sure not to put one one foot wrong. And soon enough, after navigating the tricky path, she made it to the end of the 2nd hallway, pushed the red button, disabled the electric floor and opened the door to the 3rd hallway.

Mariah: Alright, halfway. How much time do I have left Mr. Belpois?

Jeremy looked on the computer screen and saw that the ceiling was now about halfway down. Aelita was still trying to hold it back with her Creativity, but he could see that she was getting tired.

Jeremy: The ceiling's about halfway down, but I don't think Aelita can hold it back for long. Get a move on!

Mariah: Right!

She ran through the door and into the 3rd hallway. What she saw was a clear problem for her. She saw that the 3rd hallway had been turned into a maze.

Mariah: Great, now I really do need to think on my feet.

Without wasting another second, Mariah ran inside the maze. XANA saw this and was now not very pleased with how well she was navigating through his traps.

XANA: Blast. That's it. Matthew, it's time to intervene. You know what to do.

Down below one floor in the scanner room, Matthew cracked an sly smirk as he stepped into the lone scanner.

XANA Matthew: Understood Lord XANA. I won't let you down.

The scanner doors closed and Matthew was virtualized within seconds.

* * *

**Lyoko-Ice Replica**

Meanwhile, Ulrich, Odd, Gary, Jonah, Natalie, Brandon, and Alexis were still guarding the Skid. Ulrich and Odd knew that it was crucial that the Skid would stay safe, but the young warriors were starting to get bored of just standing around doing nothing.

Brandon: UGH! Why do we have to stand here and do nothing? I'm longing for some action here!

Natalie: I'm agreeing with Brandon on this one.

Gary &amp; Jonah: Us to.

Ulrich: The reason why we're standing guard is because we have to make sure the Skid is safe.

Odd: Because if it gets destroyed, then we have no way for us to get back to Lyoko or to Earth if we destroy the Replica.

Ulrich: Meaning we fall into the Digital Sea and it's bye-bye to all of us.

Brandon: We get that Coach Ulrich, but it still would be nice for a little bit of excitement.

?: THEN HOW'S THIS! ELECTROSLASH!

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a giant red and white electric slash appeared and collided straight into the Skid, damaging it severely.

Ulrich: What the...

Odd: What was that?!

Natalie: *gulp* I think I already know.

Suddenly, the warriors became surrounded by 5 Tarantulas and then from out of the virtual sky came Matthew flying down on his red demon right in front of the warriors. The warriors instantly brought out their weapons at the sight.

XANA Matthew: Oh come now. It's been about 2 months since we've last met and this is how you welcome me? I'm hurt. *smirk*

Brandon: Shut up Matt! Why are you here?!

XANA Matthew: Ah Brandon, I see your fiery attitude hasn't changed since we last fought.

Brandon: What did you say?!

Brandon charged at him and prepared to swing his scythe at him, but Matthew was quick to react and used his Shockwave ability to devirtualize him in an instant. The young warriors gasped at this as chuckled at his success.

XANA Matthew: Ahh that felt good. Now that he's out of the way, let's get down to business. Monsters...ATTACK!

The 5 Tarantulas went after Ulrich, Odd, Gary, Jonah, and Alexis but Matthew charged at Natalie and body-slammed her to the ground before she could even react. Groaning in pain, she got back to her feet and gripped her weapons tightly as she prepared for another fight against her XANAfied boyfriend.

* * *

**Antarctica Factory**

Mariah was unaware that this was all happening as she was still trying to navigate her way through the maze. Although she couldn't tell where she was, but she was able to make it about halfway through the 3rd hallway, but time was not on her side. Over in the main hallway, Aelita couldn't handle it anymore. She had run out of energy and her Creativity ability stopped. And because she had held back the spiked ceiling for so long, as soon as she released it, the ceiling jolted down until it was about at William's height and continued to lower. Desperate now to try and stop it, William jabbed his sword straight up against the ceiling until his sword was standing straight up against it and the floor. He then dragged Yumi and Aelita to the floor and told them to stay down. They did so, but they weren't sure if William's sword would hold up. Finally, after traversing through the maze left, right, and center, Mariah finally made to the other side of the hallway. She pressed the 3rd red button and the maze disappeared into the floor and the door opened up to the 4th and final hallway. She dashed through the door and saw that the 4th hallway was also empty, except for 16 medium-sized squares at the end of it. Knowing from the 2nd hallway, empty halls aren't necessarily a good thing. She brought out her laser cannons and fired a few shots at the floor. No electricity was emitted, so it was safe to walk on. She didn't see any swinging blade traps and there was clear no maze in there...

Mariah: Looks safe. Better hurry.

She sprinted down the hallway and reached the end where she stood face to face with the squares. She saw that there were images imprinted on each of them. It was then she knew what the last puzzle was.

Mariah: It's a sliding image puzzle.

Jeremy: Mariah hurry! Aelita's run out of energy and William's sword can't hold the ceiling up for long.

No sooner had he said that, inside the main hallway, William's sword gave out and fell to the ground with a clang. It was still in one piece as William picked it back up, but now the ceiling was now about 2 and a half feet above the warriors who were still laying on the ground.

Jeremy: HURRY MARIAH!

Panicking now, Mariah quickly went to work on the puzzle. She slid the multiple panels up and down, left and right, trying to decipher the full image of it. The whole image was in a 4x4 square and it wasn't until she got down with the left side of the image that it started to look familiar to her.

Mariah: It's XANA eye! Now I know how to solve it.

XANA: What?! NO!

Mariah slid the panels more and more trying to get the whole image to appear, while the spiked ceiling on the other side of the door was now just a mere 1 foot away from the warriors. XANA was watching everything on his interface and he couldn't quite believe what he was seeing.

XANA: NO! SHE COULDN'T HAVE POSSIBLY SOLVED THEM ALL!

But she did and just in time as well. Mariah slid the last few panels into place and there in front of her was the complete image of XANA's eye. It glowed red for a split second before disappearing from sight. Smiling to herself, she hit the last red button, which opened the final door, and thankfully stop the spiked ceiling in its tracks. The old warriors noticed that the ceiling had stop and then suddenly go back up to its original height. The spikes retracted completely and the 3 of them slowly stood up catching their breath. It was then they heard footsteps coming from behind them. Turning around, they were delighted to see Mariah running up to them. Yumi and Aelita tackled her into a hug while William placed his hand on her shoulder.

Aelita: You did it Mariah!

Yumi: You saved us!

William: I'm impressed with you kid. I didn't think you could do it.

Mariah blushed slightly at the praise she was getting, but soon pushed that to the back of her mind.

Mariah: Come on, we got a supercomputer to destroy.

William: Well, lead the way.

Mariah nodded and led the old warriors towards the supercomputer room. Meanwhile, back on the Replica things were not going well for the warriors. They failed to destroy any of the 5 Tarantulas and to make things worse, they were all down to their last few lifepoints. Ulrich charged at one of the beasts with his Super Sprint before jumping up into the air, but the monster just blasted him straight out of the sky and devirtualized him. Odd fired his last Laser Arrow at another Tarantula, but the monster stepped aside and fired its laser at him. And before he could activate his shield, the laser blast hit him in his chest and devirtualized him also. Gary threw his 2 boomerangs at another one, but the Tarantula shot them both out of the air. He then used his new nunchucks to bash the XANA eye on the monster. But instead, the monster used it metal leg to knock Gary out of the way and to the ground. It then used its laser to shoot him in the side and devirtualize him as well. Jonah was using his new chain extension to his War Ax to try and wrap it around the legs of the Tarantula. He did so, but only around one of its legs. Jonah then tried to pull it towards him so that he could swing his Ax at it, but the Tarantula was much stronger and it flung him towards it and when he was close enough, it fired a laser at his stomach and he got devirtualized to. Alexis used her new Multiply ability to make 5 more copies of herself to try and confuse the Tarantula. The monster was confused, but then it began firing lasers at each of the copies. The copies and the real Alexis tried to dodge the blast, but in the end the 5 copies got eliminated and Alexis took a blow to her stomach, thus devirtualizing her. All that was left was Natalie against Matthew.

Back over in the factory, Mariah and the old warriors arrived at the door that led to the center of the pentagon shaped factory. The door was still closed, but the keypad to the right of it was glowing green, meaning that the door would now be easy to open. Mariah pressed a large button on the keypad that had the word "OPEN" on it and sure enough the door opened. Behind the door was another hallway, much shorter than the others. Cautiously, the warriors walked down the hallway until they came to an opening. Going through it, they saw their target. The Ice Replica Supercomputer. It was a massive amount of circuits and wires all compiled neatly into the hardware's frame, with giant thick wires coming out of the top of the contraption and into the ceiling, most likely holding the Replica together with its power.

Jeremy: Well everyone...you know what you have to do.

The warriors nodded. William brought out his giant sword, Yumi readied her twin fanblades, Aelita summoned a large Energy Field, and Mariah aimed her 2 laser cannons at the supercomputer. Meanwhile, back at the Replica, Natalie was down to her last 20 lifepoints. She had just taken a blow in the stomach by one of Matthew's hammers and was flung back beside the Skid. She groaned in pain as she laid on the ground. Then Matthew walked up to her and placed his foot on her stomach to keep her down. The 5 Tarantulas walked up behind him and watched as Matthew, grinning evilly, summoned his giant sword and prepared to stab Natalie with it. Natalie looked up in his evil brown eyes desperate to try and stop him.

Natalie: NO MATTHEW! PLEASE STOP! You're our leader, our friend, my boyfriend, a Young Lyoko Warrior!

Suddenly, Matthew stopped. Memories of his time with his friends at Kadic came flooding back.

* * *

_**Matthew's Memories**_

_Natalie: Oh, are you new here?_

_Matthew: Yep. My family and I moved here from America just yesterday and I enrolled here today._

_Natalie: Well welcome to Kadic. I'm Natalie._

_Matthew: Nice to meet you. I'm Matthew._

_00000000_

_Gary: Nice to meet ya mate. I'm Gary._

_Jonah: And I'm Jonah._

_Alexis: Hi there, I'm Alexis._

_Mariah: And my name's Mariah._

_00000000_

_Jeremy: How would guys like to help us fight XANA on Lyoko?_

_All: Count us in!_

_Jeremy: Alright. You six get to the scanner room and prepare to be virtualized._

_00000000_

_Matthew: I know that you had a rough time with Brandon, but I promise you that I won't let that happen to you again, even if it means risky my safety for you._

_Natalie: Would you really do that for me?_

_Matthew: Not just for you, but for all of my friends._

_00000000_

_Gary: *whistles*_

_Jonah: Look at you girls._

_Matthew: Looking beautiful as ever._

_Natalie: You guys are too sweet._

_Matthew: Yeah...So, you guys ready for Prom?_

_All: You bet!_

_Matthew: Well, what are we waiting for? A train? Let's go!_

* * *

**Reality**

Matthew dropped his sword to the ground and gripped his head tightly as the memories of all the times he had with the gang came back to him. The Tarantulas behind didn't know what was happening nor did they know what to think. They retreated away from the scene thinking something bad might happen to their leader. Natalie saw Matthew groaning with his head in his hands. She slowly got back to her feet and cautiously walked up to Matt.

Natalie: Matthew...is that you?

Matthew didn't respond at first. Natalie placed her hand on his shoulder and then, Matt released his head from his hands and looked her in the eye, guilt and sadness written all over his face.

Matthew: N...Natalie?

Natalie smiled her biggest smile and was almost brought to tears.

Natalie: MATTHEW YOU'RE BACK!

She instantly hugged him, pleased to have her boyfriend back at last.

Natalie: *sniff* I'm so glad you're back! You have no idea how much I've...GAH!

Natalie suddenly felt herself being devirtualized. She looked down at herself and saw Matthew's blade sticking out of her. Losing her strength, she fell to the ground and looked up at Matthew and saw his trademark evil XANA grin. Natalie felt her heart rip to pieces.

Natalie: No...no please!

XANA Matthew: Engrave this into your brain Natalie, your precious boyfriend Matthew will never return to your arms again!

Matthew cackled in his demonic voice as Natalie was devirtualized from the Replica and appeared back inside the scanner room. She was the only one there as the rest of the warriors went back up to join Jeremy in the lab moments ago. She curled up in a ball and just cried her eyes out, completely and utterly heartbroken.

XANA Matthew: Now, where was I? Oh yes, that's right! Tarantulas come forth!

From behind a mound of ice, the 5 Tarantulas that retreat a few moments ago reappeared and joined Matthew in front of The Skid 2.0. The monsters took aim and Matthew summoned his giant sword and prepared to attack. But then suddenly, the whole Replica began to shake violently.

XANA Matthew: What? What's happening?

XANA: NO! They've destroyed it!

And they did. From inside the factory, the 4 warriors had successfully used their weapons to do enough damage to the Ice Replica's Supercomputer. With it now smoking and sparking away on the verge of an explosion, the warriors took a hint and hightailed their way out of the room and eventually out of the factory. Jeremy saw that they had left the building and quickly translated them back inside The Skid 2.0. Aelita looked down below from the duel cockpit and saw Matthew and the 5 Tarantulas surrounding it.

Aelita: Just in time everyone. It seems like Matthew and his friends tried to destroy the Skid but failed.

Chuckling to herself, Aelita piloted the Skid away from the tower and back into the Digital Sea. Frustrated, Matthew yelled into the high heavens before summoning his red demon wings and flying away just as the Replica began to disintegrate. However, XANA was watching the Ice Replica factory get destroyed and grew very concerned.

XANA: All of my creations in that factory must not be destroyed!

Thinking quickly, he pulled up a program on his interface and immediately activated it. In a room far below the factory, millions and millions of the robotic arms that were produced laid in the giant metal bins that were organized neatly within the giant room. Suddenly, there was a mysterious flash of light that emitted itself in the center of the room, before engulfing everything within the room and fading away moments later. When the light faded, the bins were empty and the robotic arms were gone. Meanwhile, in the Digital Sea, Aelita had just left the Replica just as the copied world exploded from sight. The first Replica had been destroyed.

Jeremy: Well done everyone! Mission accomplished!

Aelita: That was not an easy one.

William: Boy you're telling me, seeing how we were almost turned into Swiss Cheese back there.

Yumi: Well I think we have our young friend here to thank for that.

Again, Mariah blushed slightly.

Jeremy: 1 Replica down, 5 more to go. Meet us up back in the factory and we'll go home.

Aelita: Roger that.

And Aelita piloted the Skid back towards Sector 5 of Lyoko.

* * *

**Abandoned Factory-Computer Lab**

A few minutes later, the 11 warriors joined Jeremy in the lab as he broke down what will happen next.

Jeremy: Well with 1 Replica down, we can ride on this momentum and do out and try to destroy the next Replica tomorrow. However, I don't think that is a smart idea. These missions can take a toll on each of you, so we'll all rest up for a few days, get our energy back, and when I think we're ready, we'll go out and destroy Replica #2.

Odd: Sounds good to me!

The rest of the warriors agreed...all except Natalie. She had been extremely quiet ever since she got back to Earth and Alexis noticed this.

Alexis: Natalie...are you okay?

The rest of the warriors heard Alexis and saw that she was talking to her best friend. They all saw the heartbroken look on her face and grew concerned. Natalie stayed silent for a moment or two until she spoke up.

Natalie: ...The real Matthew came back for minute...

The young warriors gasped at this as did their elders.

Jeremy: What do you mean he came back?

Natalie: I don't know how but...I somehow got to him and he seemed to remember everything we've been through up until Prom. I thought he came back and I was so happy...but then he betrayed me and dvirtualized me.

Natalie's voice choked up as several tears streamed down her face. Alexis attempted to give her a hug, but Natalie still feeling hurt, pushed her away and ran back towards the elevator, ascending to the top floor. The gang felt sorry for their friend.

Mariah: Poor Natalie.

Gary: She really does miss Matt doesn't she?

Jonah: Yeah...I miss the guy to.

Alexis: Me too.

Jeremy felt sorry for his young student as well, but then he started brainstorming.

Jeremy: _(to himself) I wonder if I can create a program that can free Matthew with the help from Natalie?_

He continued to ponder the idea as he and the other warriors returned to the campus and their homes.

* * *

**Unknown Factory-Unknown Location**

Disappointed with his failure, Matthew emerged from the lone scanner and slowly made his way back up to the top floor where he knew XANA would be waiting for him. When he arrived, he saw that he was indeed waiting for the young XANAfied warrior to return. Kneeling down on one knee, he begged for his forgiveness.

XANA Matthew: My sincere apologies Lord XANA. I have failed you once again.

XANA: Hmph! Indeed you have Matthew...However, that is the least of my problems to deal with right now.

XANA Matthew: My Lord?

XANA: With the destruction of the Ice Replica, we are now no longer able to manufacture the arms for my creation. However, luckily I was able to save them from being destroyed by the Replica just in time.

XANA Matthew: So where are they now my Lord?

XANA: Don't worry Matthew, they are in the Assembly Factory and I'll keep them there until the time is right.

Matthew breathed a sigh of relief before speaking up again.

XANA Matthew: So...what do we do now my Lord?

XANA: We continue on with the same plan and hopefully, stop those wretched warriors from destroying anymore of my Replicas. But you must not fail me again Matthew. We cannot afford any failures at this point.

XANA Matthew: Understood Lord XANA.

XANA: Also, since we've now lost 1 Replica, I believe it is time to start the production of the super-weapon.

When Matthew heard that, an evil grin appeared on his face.

XANA Matthew: Excellent idea my Lord.

XANA: How long will it take for it to be completed?

Matthew thought for a moment and answered.

XANA Matthew: With the massive amount of machines we have here in the factory, I would suggest about 3-5 weeks.

XANA chuckled evilly.

XANA: Excellent.

He then turned back to his interface, pulled a complex program, and activated it. Deep below the factory in a room that looked to be about 100 stories high and littered with robotic machines going from the floor to the ceiling, the machines on the floor began to move. There were many conveyor belts within the room which also starting moving as well. Each belt brought out different pieces of shaped slabs of metal, nuts, bolts, rivets, heavy-duty screws, gears, pistons, and all sorts of things and the robotic machines took them and began piecing them all together. XANA watched the progress begin on his interface.

XANA: It will be a while before the project is complete, so for now my apprentice, return to your post and stand by for your next possible mission.

XANA Matthew: Yes Lord XANA.

With that, the XANAfied warrior turned on his heel and walked away.

* * *

**You really gotta feel for poor Natalie. Thinking that she was able to free Matthew from his possession, only to find out that he's still evil on the inside. And how about Mariah, being able to think on her feet when it counted the most. Quite an accomplishment there you must say, as well as being able to destroy the 1st Replica. Well done to our heroes. And what is this "super-weapon" that XANA and Matthew were talking about? All these questions will soon be answered folks, so just stay tuned!**

**But before I go, I have something special to tell you all. Today, February 10th is a big day for myself and this story. It's the 2-Year Anniversary of _Code Lyoko: New Youth._ Yes, 2 years ago today, I published this story and to celebrate this day, I've decided to do a double chapter upload. So continue on to Chapter 67 for your 2nd dose of New Youth today. See you there!**


	67. Date Night

_**Chapter 67: Date Night**_

**Wednesday-August 26th**

**Kadic Academy-Lunchroom 7:15 PM**

The had been about a day since the gang and the old warriors took down the Ice Replica, but it had also been a day since Natalie's recent battle with Matthew, in which she was able to get through to his good side and very nearly brought him back to reality, only to have him stab her in the back...literally...and return to his evil ways, leaving the poor girl heartbroken. Of course, she tried to put on a brave face throughout the day, even praising Mariah on her mission yesterday. But despite all this, the gang felt extremely sorry for her. The mood only intensified that evening at the cafeteria. Gary, Mariah, Alexis, and Jonah were there, but Natalie sadly wasn't.

Jonah: Any idea on where Natalie is?

Gary: Haven't got a clue there mate.

Mariah: Me either. I've been texting her since classes ended, but she hasn't responded to any of them.

Alexis: ...I know where she's at. I have my last class of the day with her and after it ended. She told me that she was going to her room.

Gary: Anything else?

Alexis sadly shook her head.

Alexis: No...that's all she said. That moment she had with Matt yesterday really took a toll on her apparently.

Jonah: She's distraught is what she is, and I can't blame her. Having been so close to getting your best friend back and then to see him change back just like that...I can't imagine what she's feeling.

Mariah: I hope she comes to her senses soon. I'm really starting to worry about her.

The gang agreed with Mariah on that. They continued to eat their dinner until a few minutes later, they realized something else.

Alexis: Hey...where's Brandon at?

Gary suddenly remembered something.

Gary: Oh yeah, I forgot! Brandon's in my 4th class with me, and about halfway through he started feeling sick. Probably from something he ate at lunch. Anyway, he told the teacher and went to the infirmary after that. I'm guessing he's back in his room now resting.

Jonah: Well I hope he feels better. No fun getting sick ever.

Again, the gang agreed and continued on with their dinner. Over in Natalie's room, the young warrior laid on her bed with her face buried in her pillow. Her books and homework laid skewed across her floor and the contents in her bag laid everywhere. Lifting her face off the pillow, it was clear that she had been crying, by the red bloodshot look in her eyes. Still feeling hurt after yesterday, she couldn't get the memory of Matthew out of her head.

* * *

**_Natalie's Flashback_**

_Natalie: Matthew...is that you?_

_Matthew: N...Natalie?_

_Natalie: MATTHEW YOU'RE BACK! *sniff* I'm so glad you're back! You have no idea how much I've...GAH! No...no please!_

_XANA Matthew: Engrave this into your brain Natalie, your precious boyfriend Matthew will never return to your arms again!_

* * *

**Reality**

The thought of that scene broke her down even more and soon more tears flowed down her face.

Natalie: _(to herself) Will I ever get to have him back here with me?_

Natalie couldn't hold it back any longer. Burying her face in her pillow again, she cried her eyes out for the umpteenth time. Meanwhile over in Brandon's room, Gary was quite right. The new warrior wasn't feeling so good at all. He went to the infirmary earlier that day, and she said that it was minor food poisoning from something he ate at lunch, but it shouldn't last very long and that he would good as new tomorrow morning. Still though, Brandon was in pain now and was feeling dreadful.

Brandon: *groan* Dang cafeteria food...I seriously hope that this never happens again.

Brandon went back to his grumbling while laying on his bed, when a few minutes later, he heard a knock at his door.

Brandon: *groan* Coming!

He didn't want to move, but he knew he had to. So clambering out of his bed, he went over to open the door. Who was on the other side surprised him.

Stephanie: Hi Brandon.

Brandon: Oh...hey Stephanie. What's up?

Stephanie: I heard you weren't feeling well so...I came by to see how you were.

Brandon blushed at this as did Stephanie.

Brandon: Eh, I'm hanging in there. A little stomach pain but the nurse said I should fine by tomorrow.

Stephanie: Did she say what was causing it?

Brandon: She said that it was minor food poisoning from something I ate at lunch earlier.

Stephanie: Ooooh man, that's no fun.

Brandon: No it isn't and I hope it never happens again.

Stephanie: Yeah me too...

It was then that Brandon noticed that Stephanie started to act a little strange. He noticed the deep shade of red all over her face as if she was embarrassed about something.

Brandon: Steph...are you okay? You're as red as an apple right now.

Stephanie: Well...to be honest...I'm kinda...nervous...

Brandon: Nervous? About what?

Stephanie: I've been wanting to ask you something for a while now but I never had the luck of finding the perfect time to ask you.

Now Brandon started blushing like mad.

Brandon: What was it you wanted to ask?

Stephanie took a deep breath and asked.

Stephanie: ...Will you go out with me?

Brandon stood there silent and still. Stephanie was asking him out. He then suddenly remembered the way he felt when he and Stephanie started talking to each other more. He also remembered how happy he felt when they went to Prom together last year. He had the same feelings for her, but was too nervous to ask her out. But now, she was asking him out and now was the perfect chance tell her.

Brandon: Of course I will!

Stephanie: *gasp* Really?!

Brandon: Yeah...you see I've had the same feelings to you and I've been wanting to ask you out for a while now, but I was always too nervous because...I've never asked a girl out before.

Stephanie smiled broadly.

Stephanie: I feel so much better knowing that you felt the same way to me as I did to you. So what do you wanna do?

Brandon: Hmm...how about a movie and a nice dinner after that?

Stephanie: I'd like that. But on one condition.

Brandon: Hmm? And what's that?

Stephanie smiled mischievously at him.

Stephanie: I pick the movie. No matter how corny or lovey-dovey it is.

Brandon couldn't help but laugh.

Brandon: Alright Steph, but I pick the restaurant afterwards.

Stephanie: Fair enough. So...does Friday after class sound good?

Brandon: Works for me. I'll meet you in the courtyard after class.

Stephanie: Okay! Can't wait until then. See you later Brandon. Hope you feel better!

With that, Stephanie happily skipped away to her room and Brandon shit his door. Suddenly, he didn't feel any stomach pains anymore. He couldn't help but smile.

Brandon: Looks like Stephanie's visit made me feel better. Can't wait for Date Night.

With the thought of him and Stephanie going on a date playing out in his mind, he changed in his sleepwear, crawled into bed, and went to sleep.

* * *

**Friday-August 28th 4:05 PM**

**Kadic Academy-Courtyard**

Thursday came and went and Friday was here and standing outside of the campus, Brandon waited patiently for Stephanie to arrive. He was feeling much better after his illness and was very much looking forward to his first date and he was sure that Stephanie was looking forward to it as well. As he was waiting, he heard a voice calling from behind him.

?: HEY BRANDON!

The young warrior turned around and saw Gary, Jonah, Alexis, and Mariah walking toward him.

Brandon: Hey guys what's up...wait...where's Natalie?

The gang sighed sadly when he asked.

Jonah: The poor girl still feeling depressed about what happened between her and Matt on the Replica. She's been crying for days now and isn't wanting to come out of her room after class.

Brandon felt sorry for her. More now especially since he realized how much Natalie loved Matthew.

Brandon: Is there anything we can do to help her or cheer her up somehow?

Mariah: I don't think so dude. She's not responding to any of our messages and like Jonah said, isn't willing to come out. I guess the only thing we can do is give her time and let her comes to grips with what happened.

Alexis: Hopefully then, she'll be able to move on and come back to help us finish the mission.

Brandon: All we can do is hope at this point.

The gang nodded in agreement before Gary spoke up again.

Gary: Anyway Brandon, you wanna hang out with us tonight? We're having a Foosball tournament between us over in the Rec Room. I'm gunning for my 9th win in a row where as Jonah here thinks he can finally take me down.

Jonah: I can and I will Gary!

Gary: Yeah yeah, we'll see about that. So you up for it mate?

Brandon: Oooh sorry guys, not tonight.

Mariah: Hmm? Why not?

A slight blush started showing on Brandon's face.

Brandon: I uh...have other plans with someone tonight.

A sly smirk crept onto the gang's faces.

Jonah: Other plan huh? You got a hot date or something.

Brandon went redder than before but answered confidently.

Brandon: Yes I do actually.

This time, the gang were surprised.

Alexis: Really now?!

Gary: So...who's the lucky girl?

They soon got their answered when they heard a familiar voice.

?: YOO-HOO! BRANDON!

The gang turned towards the building and saw Stephanie running up to them.

Brandon: Hey Stephanie. You ready to go?

Stephanie: You bet'cha. I've been looking to our date tonight.

The gang's eyes went wide when they heard that Stephanie and Brandon, their two former rivals, were going out together.

Mariah: You mean Stephanie is your date?!

Brandon: Yep! Anyway, see you guys later!

With that, Brandon and Stephanie walked away to the movie theater arm in arm, leaving the gang stunned.

Alexis: Who would've thought that our two former enemies from before would now be dating.

Jonah: Remember last year at Prom when I suggested to you guys that they might be in love with each other?

Gary: Yeah...I'm starting to think that you were right mate.

Alexis &amp; Mariah: Us to.

Pushing their surprised thoughts to the back of their minds, the 4 young warriors went off to the Rec Room to start their tournament.

* * *

**Boulonge-Billancourt 4:20 PM**

**Movie Theater**

Brandon: Alright, we agreed that you would pick the movie. So what is it that you want to see.

Stephanie: Hmm...let's see.

Standing outside the theater, Stephanie gazed at the movie posters debating one which film she wanted to watch. There was a large variety of movies playing that night, from horror films to sci-fi movies and romance to comedy. After a moment or two, she made her choice.

Stephanie: How about we see _Les Misérables_?

Brandon: The musical movie? Isn't that from like 2012?

Stephanie: Yes, but it's still pretty popular in some parts of France. Being a movie that takes place in France also helps to.

Brandon: Alright then, let's go and see it.

So the pair walked up to the ticket booth for their movie tickets. After Brandon paid for the tickets, they walked inside the theater, got some popcorn and drinks, made their way to the theater room, and sat down in their seats. A few minutes later the film began. Back over at Kadic, Natalie was still in her sad and depressed mood. She was an absolute mess. Her eyes were completely red from all the tears that fell, her hair was a disaster, she didn't look like she had much sleep...she was just a wreck and she felt like it to. But still, she kept herself in isolation, clearly still upset about what happened back over on the Replica. But her thoughts were interrupted suddenly when she heard a knock at her door, followed by a familiar voice.

Mariah: Natalie? Are you in there? It's me Mariah.

Natalie didn't answer back, but Mariah knew she was in there, for she could hear the faint sounds of her whimpering and sniffling.

Mariah: Natalie listen. I'm worried about you, we're all worried about you. You've been so depressed these past few days, that's it's caused you to isolate yourself from the world. We know that you went through a tough experience, but locking yourself out of the world isn't going to help. So please, come out and let us help you recover.

Again, there was silence on the other side of the door, but eventually Natalie spoke.

Natalie: I'm sorry Mariah, but I'm just not ready to come grips with what happened...not yet anyway.

Mariah: But...Natalie please!

Natalie: Just leave me alone...please.

Saddened and disappointed, Mariah obliged to leave her alone as she turned around and walked back to the Rec Room, while Natalie kept to herself and face-planted into her pillow once again. A couple of hours later, Brandon and Stephanie emerged from the movie theater after just finishing seeing the film, to which they both enjoyed watching.

Brandon: Enjoy the movie Steph?

Stephanie: Sure did...but it was a lot better when I was watching it with you.

Stephanie clung to Brandon's arm affectionately causing both him and her to blush and smile.

Stephanie: So where to next?

Brandon: Next up is that nice dinner I promised. And this time, I choose.

Stephanie giggled at this.

Stephanie: Alright then, surprise me.

Brandon: Oh I think you'll enjoy my choice.

Stephanie was about to be proven right. The restaurant that Brandon had chosen was actually Odd's favorite, Café de Martinis and it happened to be just a 5 minute walk from the theater. It was nowhere near to being a 5-start restaurant, but the atmosphere inside the building along with the friendly staff serving there made it one of the more popular restaurants in the city. Stephanie was amazed at the place when she stepped inside. Brandon requested a table for 2 and the hostess escorted them to their table. After getting settled in and ordering their drinks, they took a look at the massive selection of meals available. It took them a while for them to choose what they wanted, but eventually when their waiter came back, they chose what they wanted to eat and the waiter wrote it down on his notepad. With that, the couple decided to engage in a conversation while they waited for their meals. However...

* * *

**Lyoko-Forest Sector**

XANA was on the attack once again. Probably he wasn't happy that one of his Replicas got destroyed a couple of days ago. Anyway, he activated one of the Forest Sector's towers and in the old factory, his specter crept out of the wires of the supercomputer, headed outside the facility and flew off towards the city. Back over in the restaurant, Brandon and Stephanie were now enjoying their meals which arrived a few minutes ago. The food was absolutely wonderful, as Stephanie found out when she took a bite.

Stephanie: Mmm...wow! The fish is great. So perfectly well cooked and seasoned. I could eat this all day!

Brandon: The steak here is great to. Cooked just the way I like it.

But while they were enjoying the food, neither of them realized that XANA's specter had now slipped through the window and into the restaurant. It slid across the floor over to Brandon and Stephanie's table. They never saw it coming as it slipped under the table and then absorbed itself into Stephanie's clothing. Stephanie was just reaching for the salt shaker when suddenly her arm yanked itself forward and knocked the salt shaker off the table and onto the floor. Brandon was surprised.

Brandon: Woah...what was that?

Stephanie: I...I don't know. I was reaching for the salt when my arm just knocked it over all by itself.

Brandon: All by itself?

Then, Stephanie's foot kicked Brandon right in the shin causing the young warrior to grunt and wince in pain.

Brandon: OW! What the heck was that for?!

Stephanie: I'm so sorry Brandon, but that wasn't me I swear! My foot just move on its own!

Brandon was getting more confused and Stephanie was getting more worried. Brandon was about to question if Stephanie was going nuts or something, but then he saw her clothes start to form a black aura around them. Stephanie saw is to and was now really scared.

Stephanie: Wh...what's happening?!

Then suddenly, her light blue shirt and white jeans turned to black and the picture of a white daisy on her shirt changed to XANA's eye. Brandon saw this, and immediately knew what was wrong.

Brandon: XANA!

Then suddenly, Stephanie lurched forward in an attempt to tackle Brandon to the ground. The young warrior saw this and at the last second, jumped out of the way as Stephanie knocked the table over, startling the other customers. She got back to her feet, but it wasn't on her own. XANA was controlling her clothing and not her mind like he normally would.

Stephanie: Brandon! What's happening to me?!

Brandon wanted to tell her that XANA was one behind this, but he knew that he would risk letting out the secret of Lyoko.

Brandon: I don't know Steph, but don't worry, I'll find out how to stop it.

Then, Stephanie lurched forward again and this time Brandon didn't get out of the way quick enough. Stephanie tackled Brandon through the window and out of the sidewalk, pinning him to the ground. The young warrior groaned in pain as the possessed Stephanie twisted his arm backwards and held him in a headlock.

Stephanie: NO! PLEASE BODY STOP THIS!

Brandon: _(to himself) I won't let XANA ruin our date! _

Brandon summoned all the strength he could.

Brandon: Sorry Steph, but I have to do this to save you.

Stephanie: What do you mean?

Suddenly, Brandon shoved the girl off him and took off running around a corner. XANA's specter saw this and took off after him with poor Stephanie being dragged along. Brandon hid behind a nearby dumpster and fumbled for his phone. He quickly dialed Jeremy's number and prayed that he would pick up. Over at the Belpois Residence, Aelita was cooking up dinner for the family, Franz Hopper was telling stories about his past to Maya, of course leaving out the parts of when he and Aelita went to Lyoko and why they did, and Jeremy was in his Study Hall writing things down on his notepad.

Jeremy: No...that won't work...and neither will that one...*groan* There's gotta be a way to do it.

Suddenly, he heard the XANA alert go off and saw on the computer screen that a tower was activated. Then a few moments later, his phone rang.

Jeremy: Hello?

Brandon: Mr. Belpois, XANA's attacking! He's possessed Stephanie's clothing and now she's trying to kill me!

Jeremy: Alright Brandon, we're on our way to Lyoko. Let you friends know immediately.

Brandon: Got it.

The call ended and Jeremy quickly got up from his chair and bolted out into the Living Room.

Jeremy: Aelita!

From the kitchen, Aelita stopped what she was doing.

Aelita: Jeremy? What is it?

Jeremy: Listen carefully and tell me what you hear.

Aelita did so and from inside the Study Room, she could hear the XANA alarm going off. Aelita grew serious.

Aelita: Dad, can you watch over Maya? Jeremy and I will be back soon.

Franz Hopper knew what was happening and agreed, but little Maya was confused.

Maya: Mom, Dad? Where are you going?

Jeremy: We've got some emergency business we need to take care of.

Aelita: Don't worry sweetheart, we'll be back soon.

With that, the two warriors dashed out of the house and into the car, before driving away to the factory.

Maya: What did they mean by "emergency business" Grandpa?

Franz knew he had to be careful about how to answer that question.

Hopper: To be honest Maya, I'm not really sure.

Meanwhile in the park outside of Kadic, Gary had just got off the phone with Brandon. He told Jonah, Alexis, and Mariah the situation and were now off their way to the factory. They didn't bother trying to get Natalie. They knew that she wouldn't want to come.

Jonah: Let's be quick about this before Stephanie puts an end to Brandon and their date.

The gang agreed as they climbed down into the sewers. A few minutes later, they climbed out of the sewers and onto the bridge that led to the factory. Looking over at the entrance, they saw a black car parked there. They knew that was Jeremy and Aelita's car. Breathing a sigh of relief knowing that they were there now, the 4 young warriors dashed inside the old building.

Jeremy: VIRTUALIZATION!

In a matter of seconds, Aelita dropped down into the Forest Sector and immediately started running off in the direction of the tower. Jeremy was scanning the area around her for any monsters. For now, he didn't see any.

Jeremy: All clear for now Aelita.

Aelita: "For now." That's the key word right now.

Jeremy could only agree. A few minutes later, the elevator doors opened revealing Gary, Alexis, Mariah, and Jonah.

Jeremy: Good timing you 4. Aelita's already on Lyoko. No monsters have been spotted yet, but be on your guard.

Gary: Got'cha Mr. Belpois!

With that, the 4 young warriors descended down into the scanner room.

* * *

**A Few Minutes Later**

**Lyoko-Forest Sector**

Before long, the gang dropped down into the Forest Sector. Jeremy brought in the OverBuggy and OverCopter and with the warriors now inside the vehicles, they took off into the Forest to catch up with Aelita. Further ahead, Aelita could now see the activated tower.

Aelita: Oh thank goodness. Almost there.

But unfortunately, she wasn't alone.

Jeremy: Aelita look out! Squad of 8 Hornets behind you!

Before Aelita could act, she was suddenly hit in the back by a laser. It knocked her to the ground and cost her 20 lifepoints. Lifting herself back to her feet, she turned around and indeed saw 8 Hornets homing in on her. They each fired their lasers at her, but Aelita summoned her wings and took to the skies. 5 of the Hornets pulled back just in time to miss hitting the ground, but 2 of them didn't and were destroyed on impact. The 6 flying monsters hovered level with Aelita. She summoned 2 Energy Fields and shot them at the swarm. 1 of the blasts hit a Hornet, but the 2nd shot missed completely. Now there were 5 Hornets left and after Aelita made the first move, they instantly went on the attack. They fired their lasers at her all at once, causing Aelita to now play "Dodge the Blasts." Unfortunately, it didn't go well as one of the lasers shot her in her chest, costing her 20 more lifepoints, devirtualizing her wings, causing her to fall and hit the ground, making her lose another 10 lifepoints. Groaning back to her feet, now with 50 lifepoints left in the bank, she looked up and saw one of the Hornets closing in on her at a tremendous rate, about to tackle her further back. Then suddenly out of nowhere, a boomerang came and hit the charging Hornet straight in the XANA Eye, exploding it afterwards. Aelita looked and saw where the weapon came from. It came from Gary, who along with Jonah, Alexis, and Mariah, charged in to help Aelita. Alexis piloted her OverCopter towards the Hornets and with Jonah manning the chopper's machine guns, he locked on to two of the monsters. He then blasted a barrage of lasers at them and just like that, destroyed the 2 Hornets. There were now 2 Hornets left. One of them starting firing at Alexis' OverCopter, but kept missing. Using this as her chance, Alexis stopped her chopper and began to hover. She brought out one of her 6 daggers and threw it straight at the Hornet. The small dagger was too quick for the monster to dodge as it went straight into the Eye of XANA and exploded. Now there was 1 Hornet left and it was all Mariah's. Gary was now driving his buggy at full speed and on a head-on collision course with the monster. The Hornet didn't use its laser and in Mariah's eyes, that was its fatal mistake. Getting up out of her seat, she brought out her laser cannon and took a shot. The shot collided straight into the XANA Eye and causing the last to explode. Mariah sat back down in her seat as Gary skidded to a stop beside Aelita.

Gary: G'day Mrs. Belpois. How's it going?

Aelita: *chuckle* It's going a lot better now that you all destroyed those Hornets.

Alexis then landed her OverCopter on the opposite side of Aelita and leaned out the side.

Alexis: Now with those out of the way, how about deactivating this tower.

Aelita: Sounds like a plan.

With that, Aelita took off towards the tower. Meanwhile, back in the city, the possessed Stephanie had come across the dumpster which Brandon was hiding behind. She didn't know it though, but XANA did. Using her possessed clothing, he made Stephanie raise up her arm and form a dark energy orb. From behind the dumpster, Brandon heard the orb being formed. He jumped out of the way of the dumpster just in time, as Stephanie fired the orb and watched it collide with the dumpster, sending it flying backwards. She saw Brandon laying on the ground and instantly grew even more scared. The fear only increased when she felt herself walk towards him. She grabbed him by his neck and lifted him off the ground. Stephanie saw Brandon struggling and gasping for air. Tears flowed down her face as she helplessly watched herself do this.

Stephanie: Brandon please help me!

But then, Stephanie felt herself move. She then threw Brandon forward, making up crash into a wall at the end of the alley. Brandon dropped to the ground unconscious as Stephanie walked slowly forward, forming one last dark energy orb.

Stephanie: NO! PLEASE NO MORE! STOOOOOOP!

Over on Lyoko, Aelita had reached the top of the tower and entered Code: Lyoko. Suddenly, Stephanie stopped and the energy orb disappeared. XANA's specter went all static and disappeared out of her clothing, returning them to normal. Stephanie fell to her knees, thankful that it was all over. But then she remembered Brandon and quickly ran over to his motionless body, taking it in her arms not wanting to let go and tears continuously flowing.

Stephanie: NO! BRANDON PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME! NOT LIKE THIS!

Suddenly, she felt him move. Gasping slightly, she looked down at his face and saw his eyes slowly start to open. Brandon slowly lifted his head until his eyes met hers and smiled.

Brandon: Hey Steph, feeling better?

Stephanie: Oh Brandon, thank goodness you're okay!

She hugged him tightly and cried in his shoulder.

Stephanie: I was so scared...I thought I lost you.

Brandon: Heh, you're not gonna lose me that easily.

Stephanie lifted up her face and giggled slightly. It was good to have Brandon back. Then, Brandon remembered something.

Brandon: Hey, can you give me a second? I need to make a quick phone call.

Stephanie: Huh? Uh...sure...who are you gonna call?

Brandon: Mr. Belpois.

Stephanie: What why?

Brandon didn't answer as he got out his cell phone and dialed Jeremy's number.

Back over on Lyoko...

Aelita: Tower deactivated.

The tower changed from blue to red and Aelita emerged from it. In the factory, Jeremy breathed a big sigh of relief, knowing that another XANA attack had been foiled.

Jeremy: Nicely done everyone.

Just then, Jeremy received a call. It was from Brandon.

Jeremy: Brandon, are you alright?

_Brandon: Yes Mr. Belpois, I'm fine and thankfully so is Stephanie._

Jeremy: Yes that's certainly good to hear.

_Brandon: Yes but still, with what Stephanie went through tonight with the whole "clothing possession" nonsense, I think a Return to the Past is in order. I know it's risky, but I think it's the right call._

Jeremy: I agree with you Brandon. We'll have 6 left after this.

_Brandon:__ Thanks Mr. Belpois._

Brandon hung up the call and turned back to face Stephanie, who was now more confused than ever.

Stephanie: Brandon...what was all that about? What's this about a..."Return to the Past?"

Brandon: Heh, sorry Steph, but in a few seconds you're not gonna remember a thing that happened to you tonight.

Stephanie: What? What the heck are you talking about?

Jeremy: Return to the Past now!

* * *

**Friday-August 28th**

**Kadic Academy-Courtyard 4:05 PM**

Brandon: Hey Stephanie. You ready to go?

Stephanie: You bet'cha. I've been looking to our date tonight.

Brandon looked back at the gang.

Brandon: See you guys later.

Gang: Have fun!

With that, Brandon and Stephanie walked away from the campus and off to the movie theater.

Brandon: _(to himself) Let's see if Take 2 is any better than Take 1._

Looking at the couple walking away, the gang couldn't help but smile.

Gary: Brandon sure has come a long way hasn't he?

Alexis: He sure has.

Jonah: First our rival last year, then he becomes one of us, and now he's got a date with Stephanie. Pretty cool.

Mariah: Reminds me of how excited Natalie was when she and Matthew were going on their first date.

Suddenly, the gang all felt sad as they remembered about Natalie.

Gary: Poor girl.

Jonah: Yeah...it's gonna be hard for her to get over this.

Alexis: Well there's gotta be a way to help her but what?

Mariah: Maybe we should ask Mr. Belpois. Maybe he can help us.

Gary: Hmm...maybe. Alright, next chance we get, we'll ask him.

Gang: Right.

And with that, the gang of 4 walked away out of the courtyard.

* * *

**Aaaaaaaand, there you have it. A double upload for the story's 2 Year Anniversary. Hard to believe that it's already been 2 years since I published New Youth huh. 2 years and now 67 Chapters later, quite something.**

**1st Year: Ch. 1-57 were published**

**2nd Year: Ch. 58-67 were published**

**It really is quite amazing to me that the story is now 2 years old, but what's also really astonishing to me is that throughout the entirety of those 2 years, all of you guys, everyone, my followers, my favoriters, my reviewers, just all of you guys have stuck with me. Through thick and thin, through many long hiatus periods, no matter what it was, you all still showed your love and support for this story and for that, I am totally grateful. I've said it before and I'll say it again, YOU GUYS ARE THE ABSOLUTE GREATEST!**

**And now, we more on to Year #3 of New Youth, and if I continue updating the story at this rate...well then, maybe...just maybe by around this time next year, _Code Lyoko: New Youth_ will come to an end. Yes guys, some of you might not see it, but the story is coming to an end. And whatever comes within the coming chapters is completely uncertain. But that is still quite a ways away.**

**So until then, thank you guys so much for reading and enjoying the special 2 Year Anniversary Double Upload of New Youth. If you enjoyed both of these chapters, please be sure to leave a review and if you're new to this story, then why not follow and favorite, and show your support. That would make me a very happy author indeed.**

**More to come soon everyone, but until then, HAPPY 2 YEAR ANNIVERSARY _CODE LYOKO: NEW YOUTH_! And now as always, FakeACU83 OUT!**


	68. Lost Cause

_**Chapter 68: Lost Cause**_

**Sunday-August 30th 11:00 AM**

**Kadic Academy-Dorm Room Hallway**

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*

Alexis: Natalie? It's me Alexis.

No answer came.

Alexis: Natalie come on, I know you're in there.

She wasn't wrong. Natalie was in her room, but her face was currently buried in her pillow. Alexis was really concerned for her best friend. It had been 4 days since the warriors returned from their Ice Replica Destruction mission, but it has also been 4 days since Natalie's latest battle with Matthew, and still her depression and sorrow hadn't improved even in the slightest. The whole gang tried many attempts to get her to talk or at least come out of her room, but to no avail. The only times they actually saw her outside of her room, was during class and eating in the cafeteria. But even during that, she kept herself isolated by sitting by herself in the back of the classroom and finding an empty table to sit by her lonesome. Time after time, her friends tried to make her feel better, even just a little bit, but it was no good. Natalie's depression got the better of her, and she continued to shun her friends away, and shun herself from the world. And to make matters worse, the gang had started giving up hope. They all thought that it was now impossible to make Natalie come to her senses and accept what happened. But Alexis was different. She still had hope for her best friend, and was trying her absolute hardest to get her to come out. And this time, she had a good reason.

Alexis: Look Natalie, I know you're still depressed about what happened, but this time we REALLY need to you to come out.

She then brought out her phone and pulled up a group text message she and the gang received from Jeremy just minutes ago.

Alexis: Mr. Belpois said that it's time to go to the second Replica and he thinks that it'll be much more difficult than the Ice one. He needs all of us there for this mission...and I need my best friend back.

Alexis waited for a reply, hoping that what she said would get Natalie to change her mind. At last, she heard movement. Inside the room, Natalie rose from her pillow and sat on the edge of the bed. She took a deep breath and finally spoke.

Natalie: Alexis...

A small hopeful smile appeared on Alexis' face.

Alexis: Yes?

Natalie: I...I...

A few tears dripped down her face and onto the floor, but Alexis didn't see it with the door still closed.

Alexis: Yes Nat?

Natalie: I...I can't. I just can't!

Alexis' face fell and tears started coming out of her eyes. This was not what she wanted to hear.

Alexis: W...what?

Natalie: I can't make myself go back. It'll only just bring more pain.

Alexis: But...but Natalie please! We need you! We're a team! We have to stick...

Suddenly, Natalie's door swung open and Alexis saw a mixture of anger and sadness on her face.

Natalie: NO WE'RE NOT!

Alexis jumped back startled.

Natalie: We're not the same team anymore! Our team was severed when XANA possessed Matt last year and since then, things haven't gotten any better. XANA's created Replicas storing or creating who-know's-what, his attacks on Earth keep getting worse, we have a limited number of Return to the Pasts left, AND MY BOYFRIEND IS STILL UNDER HIS CONTROL!

Streams of tears kept on flowing down her face and her breathing became short and shallow. Alexis was scared and hurt at her outburst. She had never seen her best friend act like this for as long as she's known her.

Alexis: But Natalie listen, we still have a chance to make things better. We still have a chance to...

Natalie: No we don't.

Alexis: Huh?

Natalie: I said "No we don't." With each day that passes, our chances of stopping XANA grow slimmer. We can try our best to do what we can, but do you honestly think that we, a group of 6 teenage high-schoolers, have a legit chance at stopping a XANA for good?

Alexis didn't respond. She honestly had no clear answer.

Natalie: It's inevitable Alexis. XANA's close to taking over the world and with Matt's help, his victory is all but secured. *sigh* You guys can try and do something, but to be honest...I don't see the point anymore.

Alexis: But Natalie please! You must...

Natalie: Just leave me alone.

With that, Natalie slowly closed her door and returned to her bed, while Alexis put her back to the wall and slid down to the floor crying. After a few seconds, she felt her phone vibrate. She looked at it and saw that Gary had texted her in the group chat. She pulled up the message.

Gary: **_Hey, where you at? Mr. Belpois and them already gone ahead to the factory. We told them we'll catch up once you came back._**

Alexis sighed as she wiped her eyes and wrote back.

Alexis: **_Alright, I'm on the way._**

After she sent the message, she got up off the floor and walked away to the courtyard. A few seconds later, her phone vibrated again.

Gary: _**Any luck with Natalie?**_

She stopped where she was and looked back sadly at her door. Sighing heavily, she wrote back.

Alexis: _**No...**_

It was all she wrote before sending the message and continuing on to the courtyard. She arrived just a few minutes later and saw the gang's faces.

Alexis: I'm sorry guys...I tried my best, but I couldn't get through to her.

The gang held their heads down in disappointment.

Mariah: ...Did she say anything to you or did she stay quiet like she did to the rest of us?

Alexis: No...she spoke...and voiced her opinion.

Jonah: What do you mean?

Alexis: I tried telling her that we need her on this mission, but she said that she just can't. I tried to reason with her, saying that we're a team and we need to stick together. But instead, she swung her down opened and blasted her voice in my face.

The gang stood silent.

Gary: What did she say?

More tears started going down Alexis' face as she told them.

Alexis: She...she said that we're not the same team anymore, that our team was severed when XANA possessed Matt.

Jonah: Well she's not wrong on that.

Alexis: She also said that since Matt's possession, things haven't gotten any better.

Jonah: And she's not wrong on that either.

Alexis: I tried to tell her that there was still a chance to stop him and bring Matt back...but she said that there wasn't. She said that our chances of stopping XANA were growing slimmer everyday, and that it was inevitable of XANA taking over Earth.

The gasped slightly at what they heard. No one had expected Natalie to talk or think so negatively. There was a long silence before Brandon spoke up.

Brandon: *sigh* If I'm to be honest guys, I think Natalie's a lost cause. It's clear that she's not going to come out of her depression anytime soon and it's now crystal clear that she doesn't give a rat about us or our cause to stop XANA. And if that's the case...then what good is she to us as a team?

The gang looked at Brandon, then looked at each other and nodded. Brandon for once, was right.

Gary: I guess it's just the 5 of us fighting this war from now on. Come on, we got a mission to do.

The gang agreed and walked away towards the factory.

* * *

**Tensions...are...high right now guys. The gang are starting to fall a part with the exclusion of Natalie. Can they keep a level head and succeed in their next mission? Or will they crumble and fall under XANA's power? Will the gang ever be the same again? And will Natalie ever be herself again? Many questions needing answers guys, and those answers will all be revealed in due time. But until then, I hope you guys enjoyed this latest chapter. I know that it was a bit shorter than usual, but those chapters come and go every now and then and this one was one of them. But either way, I do hope that you all still enjoyed it. If you did, please be sure to review, follow and favorite if you're new, and spread the love of this story to your friends.**

**More to come soon guys! But for now, and as always, FakeACU83 OUT!**


	69. The Second Replica

_**Chapter 69: The Second Replica**_

**Abandoned Factory-Computer Lab**

The old warriors were all inside the computer lab waiting for the young warriors to arrive. However, they've been waiting for about 20 minutes, much longer than they anticipated.

Odd: I wonder what's keeping them?

Jeremy: They said that they were waiting for Alexis to go get Natalie and that they would catch up with us.

Yumi: Well...should it really take this long?

Jeremy: I'm starting to wonder the same thing Yumi.

But then, as if right on cue, the elevator doors opened and revealed the gang.

William: Well it's about time you all showed up.

Ulrich: What happened you guys? What took you so...

Ulrich stopped when he saw the looks of disappointment and distaste on the gang's faces.

Ulrich: Woah...you guys okay?

Aelita: Did something happen? Where's Natalie?

Brandon: Natalie's not coming on this mission.

Odd: Still can't get over her last battle with Matthew huh?

Aelita: The poor thing. I hope she comes to grips with it soon.

Jeremy: Hmm...well either way, she's not coming so we're going have to do the mission without her. But after that, she's going to have to come along on the next mission and...

Gary: She's not going on the next mission Mr. Belpois.

Jeremy and the rest of the old warriors looked at Gary confused.

Jeremy: Eh...what?

Jonah: Or the one after that...or the one after that...in fact, she's not coming back to Lyoko at all.

Now the old warriors were really surprised at what they heard.

Yumi: What do you mean she's not coming back?

The gang stepped aside and Alexis walked up. She then explained her conversation with Natalie and decision that she and her friends made afterwards. When she finished, the old warriors were left silent and still.

Ulrich: So...that's it then.

Alexis: Pretty much. If she can't accept what happened and move on from it or try to make it better, then she won't be any help to us.

Aelita: That's pretty harsh young ones.

The gang looked at Aelita slightly puzzled.

Mariah: What do you mean?

Aelita: I mean, it's only been a few days since her encounter. Yes, it seems to have taken a toll on her, but depression doesn't just go away in a few days. It takes time for it to leave. Trust me...I should know.

The gang looked slightly more confused, but the old warriors knew where she was going with this.

Gary: Care to elaborate?

Aelita: The first time we tried to stop XANA 20 years ago, Jeremy created an Anti-XANA program which could be used to destroy XANA once it was activated. So I traveled to Sector 5 to activate it, but it didn't have enough power for it to be put to full use. Then, my father came and began supplying the remaining power for the program. However, XANA's Mantas were attacking him while he was helping. I was torn between two choices. Activate the program to stop XANA and let my father die, or save him and have XANA take over the world.

Mariah: So...what did you do?

Aelita: Unfortunately...the choice was made for me. I took too long to decided what to do, and by that point, the Mantas destroyed my father. I had lost him, and in my misery I activated the program which destroyed XANA...at the time. When I came back from Lyoko, I was saddened and depressed beyond belief and it took me a while for me to feel better. I was just like Natalie. I was in a dark place for a while, but in time and with the help of my friends, I was able to move on. And that's what Natalie's trying to do right now I'm sure. It will take some time for her to accept what happened, but give her a chance to gather herself back up, and most importantly be the good friends that I know you are and be there for her when she's ready.

The old warriors looked at the gang, who were now lost in thought. Looking at each other, they were now regretting the decision of excluding Natalie so quickly without even considering what Aelita said. They all looked to the ground in shame.

Jeremy: I hope you all will take Aelita's words to heart, but for now we have a Replica to get to.

Warriors: Right!

Jeremy: I'm starting the virtualization process now, so head down to the scanners.

And that's just what they did, as the 10 warriors all crammed in the elevator and made their way down to the scanner room.

* * *

**A Few Minutes Later**

**Lyoko-Sector 5: Skid 2.0 Hanger**

Jeremy: Energize!

In an instant, the 10 warriors were consumed by the flashes of light and appeared in their respective spots of the Skid. Aelita looked over the controls, map, radar, shields, and damage monitors to make sure that they were all in check and ready to go.

Aelita: All systems online Jeremy.

Jeremy: Then let's get started. Struts away!

The 4 massive support struts holding The Skid in place moved away, leaving the ship in the hands of Captain Aelita.

Aelita: Here we go. Liftoff!

Slowly but surely, the giant submarine lifted out of the hanger and into the Celestial Dome. Jeremy opened one of the tunnels leading out of the Sector and Aelita carefully guided the ship towards it. She emerged from the other side above the Desert Sector's Digital Sea a few moments later.

Aelita: Digital Sea dive in 3...2...1...DIVE!

The Skid dropped from the sky like a stone and plunged straight into the Digital Sea. Moments later, the gates to Lyoko opened up and the ship slowly floated out. In the lab, Jeremy typed in the coordinates of the next Replica and sent them over to Aelita. When they came in, Aelita looked at the numbers and typed them into the ship's map. While the map searched for the Replica, Aelita rotated The Skid to its horizontal position. No sooner had the ship stopped rotating, the map had located the warriors next target.

Aelita: Replica's been located Jeremy. It's a little further out than the Ice one, but not by much.

Jeremy: Well, you know what to do my dear.

Aelita: Right. Here we go everyone. Onwards to the second Replica.

With that, Aelita activated The Skid's thrusters and sailed away to the next Replica. However, if you haven't guessed by now, they were also being watched by XANA and Matthew.

XANA Matthew: Looks as though they are heading to another one of you Replicas my Lord.

XANA: Indeed.

XANA Matthew: Shall I head over there to greet them?

XANA: Not yet. I have no doubt that they will break in to the next Replica, but I wanna see who is going to be the ones executing this mission. Remember, the information you gave me on the young ones will help us continue our plan.

XANA Matthew: Though true my Lord, but if I may say based on what happened last time, don't you think we should try another plan?

XANA turned and faced his apprentice with a stern look on his face.

XANA: No, we stick to what we planned before, no questions about it. Understand?

XANA Matthew: Yes my Lord. Apologies.

XANA: Good. But, in case things get out of hand again, I'll switch to another plan.

XANA Matthew: Understood Lord XANA.

Matthew then left the lab, leaving XANA alone watching the warriors travel through the Digital Sea. Whilst traveling through the Digital Sea, Jeremy began explaining the plan to the warriors.

Jeremy: Basically the mission is the same as the Ice Replica. I'll send a few of you to the Replica's factory, have you locate the supercomputer, destroy it and thus destroy the Replica making this mission a success.

Ulrich: So, who's going to be going on this mission this time?

Jeremy: I've given it some thought and I've decided to let you, Odd, and Alexis carry out the mission this time.

Odd: Aww yeah! Odd the Magnificent is getting back in action!

The old warriors groaned at Odd's boastfulness while the gang couldn't help but chuckle a bit. At that point, the radar began going off in the ship's dual cockpit. Aelita looked down at the screen and saw that indeed they were approaching something.

Aelita: _(to herself) If I had to take a guess at what it is..._

She looked back up and peered out through the glass. She saw that they were closing in on their target.

Aelita: Replica in sight everyone.

Indeed it was. The warriors had reached the second of 5 Replicas. Pulling to a stop in front of the gates, Aelita changed the ship back to its vertical position and activated the Digital Key. The bright beam of white light emitted itself from The Skid and connected to the Replica's lock.

Aelita: Digital Key connected. Go ahead Jeremy.

Jeremy: Roger that.

Jeremy began typing in the Replica's security code and within a minute, the numbers on the screen turned green and the gates to the copied world opened. Aelita then piloted the ship through the entrance and moments later, The Skid emerged from the Digital Sea and began ascending to the terrain above them. Once they were above ground, the warriors could see that the Replica's landscape consisted of grass and an abundance of virtual trees, giving them a clear indication of where they were.

Yumi: So Replica #2 is the Forest Replica.

Jeremy: Seems that way Yumi. Aelita, there's a tower just East of your position. Head over there and dock at that tower. I'll start preparing the Docking Program.

Aelita: You got it Jeremy.

Taking his advice, Aelita navigated The Skid in the direction of the nearby tower. Moments later, it came into view and Aelita carefully parked the ship beside it. Once it came to a complete halt, Jeremy activated the Docking Program, which in turn activated the tower, causing its aura to turn green and safely securing The Skid to it. Once Aelita knew it was safe to disembark, she energized herself and the warriors outside of the ship.

Jeremy: Alright everyone, you know what you all have to do. Ulrich, Odd, Alexis, I'm counting on you 3 to destroy this Replica.

Ulrich: Got it Jeremy.

Alexis: We'll do our best!

Odd: No problem Einstein. Destruction is my middle name.

Jeremy: Right...and the rest of you guard The Skid in case XANA decides to send some visitors your way.

Warriors: Got it!

Jeremy: Alright then, here we go. Translating!

In a blink of an eye, Ulrich, Odd, and Alexis disappeared from the group, leaving the remaining 7 warriors to guard the ship. Meanwhile, unaware to any of them, XANA had seen who Jeremy sent and chuckled in his evil way.

XANA: Perfect. Let's see how you handle this attack...Alexis.

* * *

**Oh boy everyone, what does XANA have in store for young Alexis? One thing's for sure, it can't be good. Where is the Forest Replica factory located in the world and what challenges await the 3 warriors. Well...if you stick around for the next chapter, you'll be sure to find out just that. But for now, I hope you all enjoyed this latest chapter of the story. You should already know what to do by now, but I'll say it again anyway. Be sure to leave a review, follow and favorite if you're new, and spread the love of this story to your buds. **

**Again, I hope you enjoyed the newest chapter and I'll see you all in the next one. But for now, and as always, FakeACU83 OUT!**


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